Posted on 08/29/2009 6:29:32 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Gen. Douglas MacArthur had his signature corncob pipe. Soldiers got cigarettes in their C-rations during World War II. Even today, America's war on tobacco seems to have largely bypassed the military.
Now a proposal to make the forces smoke-free is drawing strong reactions from troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though the Pentagon itself says any ban is a long way off.
The troops' fears — and, in some cases, hopes — were triggered by a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department that recommends moving toward a tobacco-free military, perhaps in about 20 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Have you served? Even if you didn't, you'd know that smoking is a way of life in the military and has been since this nation's founding. It's like taking away a baby's pacifier. When soldiers get shot, they wanted their momma and a cigarette. It's a comfort vice for our troops. Taking away tobacco reduces their morale. Of course, that's Obama's objective anyway.
There was a cartoon(?) floating around with a GI laying in the mud, shells flying overhead, bullets zinging around him and some ‘clown’ crawling up to him saying...PUT THAT CIGARETTE OUT, IT IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
At some point smoking will cease for all of civilized society but in the military they should take their time and tread lightly, starting a process of ten or 15 years for the change over might be reasonable, it gives people time to get used to the idea and for new cultures to grow.
That is an example of trying to talk to my wife about shopping tomorrow and posting comments at the same time.
They are required to not smoke during basic training.
When I enlisted in the army and assumed that I was going to Vietnam, I quit smoking.
I knew that smoking hurts night vision and that the residual odor is strong and that when smoking, the actual smoke under some conditions can carry quite a long way, I also did not want to deal with situations where I craved something strongly and could not indulge it for days at a time. I just could not reconcile smoking and jungle combat.
After I reached my permanent duty station and knew that I wasn't going to Vietnam, I resumed smoking and smoked more than before but it really is a stupid dependency.
I bet that it is lower than it used to be.
In the past the soldier had nothing when he was in the field except c-rations. The only constant, the only luxury was smoking and the army supplied those free with every meal.
A lot of soldiers probably took it up as the only luxury and form of relaxation that was available and when the army gives you a free 4 pack in every meal that is pretty coercive.
When I was in boot camp I learned that if you were a smoker you got to take a smoke break with the Company Commander while the others worked. Operant conditioning at it’s finest.
This world has gone fricking crazy.The cartoon is true.
In the environment the professional soldier inhabits there are usually more things of an immediate dangerous nature.
“during WW2 were considered by the soldiers themselves as important as food and ammo.”
True at least according to what my father said.
Well and succinctly said.
Next thing ya' know they'll be taking away their momma's/not sarc
Now a soldier’s mother can enlist until she is 42 and serve along side her or him, or if libertarians get their way, it.
In twenty years it will be pretty much over for tobacco in white nations, already only 20% of America smokes and that is mostly among the lower income, lower education Americans.
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