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I understand the science behind it, but the notion that there should be a military ban on smoking doesn’t make any sense to me. When you sign up you put yourself in peril, and in many cases these men and women make the ultimate sacrifice in service of the country. In light of that, like selling Playboy magazines on base, we should allow them to use the cancer sticks if they want to.
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“Troops should be allowed to smoke only in foreign countries. Support my drive for a country-wide ban.” –Mike Bloomberg
when will the nanny state end? i say when the tobbacco companies grow a set, shut down all their plants in this country and move totally overseas and refuse to sell their products in this country. the ensuing tax/job loss to the government and to the public would put the ludicrus ’second hand smoke’ hysteria in perspective.
These guys put their life on the line every day for this ridiculos country and now oyu want to take away their freedom to smoke?! What communism!!
Under the circumstances, I’d give them the right to smoke.
As long as they continue to get blown apart for the Bush – Obama wars to support the continued existence of the mighty “Industrial Military Complex” and the “11 Nuclear Carrier Battle Group” clusterfuck that America has become and let themselves be blown to bits while they follow Sarah’s lead and “Beauty Contest Strut” down streets miles from home while waiting to be blow up – what the hell – what’s a fag or two – don’t ask don’t tell – I always say.
They are not prisoners….. They should have all the rights we have , they are the ones they fight for our rights.
I took up smoking when I was in the Army in the sixties, because it was encouraged and cigs were cheap. $3 bought you a month’s supply and almost everyone in all the units I served in smoked. Every barracks had “butt-cans,” coffee cans with sand in them for putting out your smokes, and every barracks was a haze of smoke. We smoked non-filters because they field stripped down to nothing.
I quit after I go out and it got more expensive. Plus, I started racing bicycles, and smoking is counterproductive for that.
I am surprised they still even have this right. Smoking reduces lung capacity, affects heart rate and increases anxiety. None of these are good for a soldier who needs to move quickly with 150 lbs. of heavy equipment on his/her back and fire a gun. When you sign up for the military, you are Government Issue.
I think having the troops go to war is also harmful to their health so why don’t you send all the troops home where they will be safer. If they are good enough to be in the military, they are good enough to smoke. I have seen the affects of smoking and have taken care of lots of veterans that have smoked. So to take away their cigarettes in time of combat is just plain cruel. How cruel can you be?
Maybe when the Commander-in-chief grows a pair and stops his smoking, he can tell the troops that they can’t smoke. He claims he only does it when under stress. Under stress!?! He is getting shot at? Suck it up!
If they’re so concerned about the troops health, maybe they should stop deploying them to war zones!
What total nonsense!
Let them smoke!! The soldiers in Iraq have no alcohol. My god they are fighting for us, and we want to take away their rights!
This makes no sense!
Rose Rossi
77 years old!
I’m not a smoker and I do believe the habit can and will eventually jack up the smoker’s life. However I totally disagree with this policy. It does not not surprise me in the least. I was a soldier, twice. I thought the organization was terrible the first time. I didn’t think it could get any worse but I was wrong. The key figures and most players in the U.S. Army are not completely happy unless they have total control of each member’s life. I was one who did not agree with the selling of Playboy magazine in military facilities since half the Army population consists of female members. Exploitation of the female just doesn’t seem to match “Army policy” in my opinion, yet exploitation is steadily sold. Now we’ve came to a day where key leaders are discussing allowing homosexuals to live their lifestyle openly. So now, soldiers must wear thier sleeves down in scorching heat – to prevent overheating, they can’t smoke, women are still exploited in magazines sold in AAFES facilities, and heterosexual members may have to be forced to share community showers and perform a urinalysis in front same-sex members who may like it just as much as the opposite sex. Next they will not be allowed to drive after a certain time of night because car accident rates increase. Additionally, all alcohol consumption will be banned because likeliness to become involved in accidents, domestic situations, and various crimes increase. Where does it end? Does a soldier have any say-so in their behavior whatsoever without a threat or reg hanging over his or her head?
I dread seeing how this pans out for soldiers. Watch buddies die in combat, eat T-rations and MREs all day, listen to NCOs bark ridiculous orders constantly, perform nonsense details, and worry about dying and ambushes – but can’t have a cigarette because it will cost the VA money 30 years down the road.
What about a nice plan to bring them HOME. What’s wrong with a picture of the soldier( person whos risking their life 24 hours a day for our safe),,, smoking a cigarette. Come on….. I think that are some more serious issues to be handle.
“Over the long term, it can cause serious health problems, ”
As opposed to bullets, RPGs and car bombs?
Give me a break.
If you throw a frog into a pan of boiling water, he will jump out.
If you put a frog into a pan and slowly roast him, he becomes accustom to his surroundings and never leaves.
Point is, we are losing our freedoms one by one. So why not take smoking away from our “freedom fighters”.
The question is what next?
Have any of the individuals calling for such ban ever been deployed to a combat zone? Have they ever spend weeks in the field during exercise missions? Our troops are fighting for our freedom – let them smoke and chew. Let’s not limit theirs. This is the biggest BS idea I have heard – there are many more pressing issues that need to be dealt with.
The Democrats want to control everything. Leave the boys (and girls) alone. They are putting their life on the line for this country. This used to be a free country. Even Obama smokes. We have bigger things to worry about.
Bring back the whiskey ration! Grog for the navy!
Is a smoking ban seriously being considered by the Obama administration before repealing DADT? Are they trying to piss off everybody?
And you think they have problems recruiting for the Army now??? Allow this smoking ban and you’ll have real problems. Furthermore…if you are 18 and old enough to die for your country, I think you should be able to have a beer at the end of the day with a cigarette. Lite ‘em up!
Sounds like the military needs to come up with
complete robot armies, pilots, etc. Then there
would be no problems with them getting blown
away other than the fact they cost tons of
money. The idea to do this to troop is rediculous.
Let the military men and women have their cigerattes. As a soldier you have to live for the moment because you never know when your country will require you to put your life on the line to protect our way of life. Not only in the line of fire do we die but also in training, preparing to follow those brave men and women of yesterday who faught to protect our way of life. FREEDOM.
Each time I go to the WALL, I cry. Over 50,000 men and women lost their lives in Vietnan.InWorld War II nearly half a million lost their life, and I cry.
I spent two tours in Vietnam, 1965, 101st ABN (320th FA) and 1971, 23rd INF DIV(DivArty). Some of my fellow soldiers did three or more tours and many did not make it back alive.
I smoked for seventeen years while I was in the Army and I quit because I wanted to quit,(1977) my choice.
Yes, I’m a disable veteran, unemployable because of exposure to Agent Orange and wear hearing aids due to exposure from the Artillery(Big Guns). There are lots of sounds that I would love to hear again, but they are lost forever.
I have no regrets, I would live my life the same if I had to do all over again.
Let that Soldier, Sailor, Marine and Airman/woman make that choice. They chose to serve. Let them make the choice to smoke or not.
Charles H. Howard, SFC/E7, United States Army Retired
I guess when you’re in training, and you get a 10 minute break, the D.I. will growl,”10 minute break! Chew celery stalks if ya got ‘em!”
Let me be the first to say, “This is what you get when liberals run the country/”
Wow, that felt good !
Right winger “Frank DiSalle”: “This is what you get when liberals run the country/”
(To riff off of “zadura”)
A larger lung capacity, a healthier heart rate, and a decrease in anxiety, and a longer life is what you get when liberals run the country?
“Wow, that felt good !”
I do not smoke but did during combat. It gave one the edge in maintaining some ability to remain calm and do the right thing. Only an academic or politically correct politician from inside the belt line who has never been in the military and certainly never been in combat would support such a unilateral outright ban. This is something to be expected from the Obamaists.
Smoking gives away your position. You should only do it while off duty.
Hey, LIBS.
Let me know when you have had enough of the “CHANGE” you voted into office.
YUK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK Repack,
You’ve made a strong case for soldiers in combat. That still leaves an awful lot of time that isn’t off duty.
So our military troops, who could be called into physical combat even while off duty shouldn’t be encouraged (if not expected) to have a larger lung capacity, a healthier heart rate, and a decrease in anxiety?
My first thought was, “smoke ‘em if ya’ got ‘em”, but I’ve known too many out of breath smokers not to realize that there is a genuinely legitimate military readiness concern.
Even a smoker with a desk job has erratic productivity because of the persistent urge to regularly satisfy their nicotine addiction.
And this wasn’t some touchy feely liberals advocating this, this was:
A new study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs recommends a complete ban on tobacco, which would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform, not even combat troops in the thick of battle.
According to the study, tobacco use impairs military readiness in the short term. Over the long term, it can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The study also says smokeless tobacco use can lead to oral and pancreatic cancer.
Let them use their tobacco. It’s stuid to make a rule to take it away. I doubt there are many that are happy to be in the war. Let them have a little pleasure of using if they desire.
Left winger “News Reference”: “A larger lung capacity, a healthier heart rate, and a decrease in anxiety, and a longer life is what you get when liberals run the country?”
Yeah, because you’re going to need it in order to work two jobs just to pay off the multi-trillion dollar debt hole the liberals are digging for us all.
Right winger “GetErRight” doesn’t know math or recent history.
Republican Debtor Presidents have been racking up the US debt for almost 30 years.
Republican Hollywood entertainer Reagan more than DOUBLED the US debt.
Republican Bush 1 walked away from 12 years of Republican Presidential rule with a QUADRUPLED US debt.
Republican Bush 2 DOUBLED the US debt again and arguably Republican Bush QUADRUPLED the US debt when all the trillions Republican Bush gave his crony buddies out the back door of the Federal Reserve are added up.
Republican Debtors always blame someone else for Republican Debt.
It’s Republican Math combined with Republican’s First Rule: Rules Are For Other People.
And for the record, “GetErRight”, I’m and independent with a conservative streak that did the math on the REPUBLICAN’S DEBT.
I don’t see the readiness issue. As long as you can pass your fitness test, then how much you smoke, what you eat, how often you exercise, etc. should be up to you. If smokers can’t pass the test, they don’t stay in. That goes for fatties too. Raise the fitness minimums and people will quit smoking in order to pass.
Just what we want: people in extremely stressful situations carrying guns and going through nicotine withdrawal.
“Ignatz” obliquely points out that going through nicotine withdrawal is serious, especially for “people in extremely stressful situations carrying guns”.
Doesn’t that support discouraging troops from getting hooked on an addictive drug that has serious withdrawal consequences along with the other ill-health affects?
They’re playing with fire here. Anyone who smokes or who has smoked in the past knows that withdrawal symptoms can easily make a person “go off the handle.” A person trying to quit smoking, especially in the early stages, really needs to keep a check on their self-control. And I am just talking about us homebodies, not those out there in the battlefields toting machine guns, surrounded 24/7 by stressful situations. They really should watch what they wish for. They just may get it.
I ran a 5:30 mile as a smoker, and ran 5 miles without breaking sweat when I left BCT . We also knew enough not to smoke in the field when on a S & D patrol.
So can the pseudo – strategic BS, and the “Nanny State knows best”. Every soldier is used to the idea that the Army knows what is best for them, but they have faith in the Army. Some dipshit in Congress? Eeeeh? Not so much.
All you idiots supporting the ban on cigarettes for the military need to put on a uniform and serve before you even think about supporting a ban or writing on blogs with your reasoning. A young man or woman enlists in the military knowing they could die given the world animosity towards the U.S. and the current military involvement around this globe. How much more dangerous is smoking than war? I think a ban on snack food should be instituted so all the lard asses sitting at their computer in the civilian world don’t offend my eyesight. I get nauseated when I see fat and blubber hanging out from clothing, but that doesn’t bother non-smokers. For some reason somebody’s sense of smell is more important than my sense of sight? Don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say “Smoking stinks, I can’t stand the smell”, Take a look in the mirror. Your blubber is disgusting to me so why should your sense of smell be more important than my sense of sight?
I realize that smoking isn’t exactly a “right” but for crying out loud how many things are going to be banned or outlawed or vilified before people start to realize that the government or at least the “squeaky wheel” and those who shout the loudest are making the rules for how we live our lives. If a soldier wants to smoke let them. How dare they try and force everyone to live by the standards set for”our own good”. I’m sick and tired of more and more restrictions put on more and more things in this life and yet we still say this is the land of freedom. Live and let live doesn’t seem to exist here much any more. Freedom of choice is a thing of the past. If one doesn’t conform to whatever is the current outrage they are seen as practically deviant. Our soldiers fight for our safety and freedom, let them have the freedom to choose or not to smoke a freakin cigarette!
It’s amazing to me that in this day and age smoking is still a socially/politically accepted act given the dire consequences on personal and public health. Can you imagine the life expectancy rates by this point had smoking never been an option? Can you imagine substantially lower health care rates across the board? Can you imagine . . . a beach unlittered by millions of cigarette butts; hospital wards empty of folks choking for every breath; higher productivity at work sites without smoke breaks; babies not negatively affected by pregnant mothers who selfishly consume; men whose sex drives are not diminished by the affects of smoke; a world where the poor aren’t buying cigarettes instead of food (or buying food on welfare because they’ve spent their money on smokes)?
Ask yourself, how are things better because of cigarettes? How has your life improved because you decided to smoke? How has humanity improved because of this simple pleasure? Honestly, I would be all for smoking if its consequences did not so negatively impact society at countless levels.
Smoking ban for the military? Why stop there?
Seems kind of antithetical to me, wouldn’t we want our military to be in top fighting form? Then again they’re not allowed alcohol so I guess its the last legal vice, and if it takes the edge off why not. Give em free nicoderm patches when they get out.
“For some reason somebody’s sense of smell is more important than my sense of sight?”
Yes. You don’t have to look at people, but you do have to breathe in the air (unless you plan to hold your nose all day, which probably isn’t exactly a palatable option for most people).
Also, you know for a fact that literally everyone who supports the ban on cigarettes in the military never “put on a uniform” and served? No, of course, you don’t. You just have an egocentric worldview where if someone disagrees with you on something, then you automatically assume that they haven’t been through some of the same things you have (in this particular case, military service).
“…making the rules for living our laws.”
So you support no government-imposed rules in society? You’re an anarchist?
So the Army is now running from some anti smoking activist. Listen, previous generations won WWI and WWII and fought in the Vietnam war. Smoking had nothing to do with winning or loosing and they carried their Lucky Strikes or Marboros or Kools right along with their ammo. Get rid of this socialist nanny attitude that the USA is going to coddle it’s citizens for the betterment of all and take away our freedoms. When the state starts with the little freedoms it escalates to the larger freedoms. I am a non smoker but people should be able to do with their body what they choose. Free will – get it?
While my previous commet is awaiting moderation, chew on this. Alcohol kills far more people than tobacco but the activists are afraid t tackle this issue. Try telling our soldiers they can’t have a beer and you will see them marching right out the gate. And no, i don’t drink either.
“Get rid of this socialist nanny attitude…”
While I don’t agree with the proposed military smoking ban, it would not be socialistic to have such a thing. Just because you dislike proposal x, doesn’t automatically mean that x is an example of socialism. I saw this kind on thinking on another blog where a commentator wrote that same-sex marriage was an example of socialism.