Israeli military punishes soldier for eating a pork sandwich

File photo of Israeli soldiers. AP

JERUSALEM — A U.S.-born Israeli soldier is deep in the mud after pigging out during training.

The military sentenced the soldier to 11 days in prison for eating a pork sandwich during a break in his commander’s course. The punishment was replaced with confinement to base after relatives made a stink in the media, and a lawmaker wrote the defense minister on his behalf.

As the Jewish state’s military, Israel’s army maintains kosher kitchens on its bases. The soldier, a recent immigrant from Boston who was not named, said he was unaware of the army’s dietary restrictions and was merely snacking on a lunch that his secular grandmother had made him.

The military said Tuesday that the trainee “violated rules and regulations and

his commanders thought it necessary to discipline accordingly.”