The War On Our Troops Who Smoke -- William McGurn, New York Post
“You ask me what we need to win this war. I answer, tobacco as much as bullets.”
So cabled the commander of the American Expeditionary Force, Gen. John Pershing, to the War Department in 1917.
It’s a long way from “Black Jack” Pershing to Chuck Hagel. Not that the Obama administration shies away from wars. It’s just that the target is less likely to be the Russians or Iranians than our own troops: specifically, the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who smoke.
This week, Defense Secretary Hagel announced he supports a ban on tobacco sales on bases and ships. This followed a memo sent to service chiefs earlier by two top Pentagon officials: “The prominence of tobacco products in retail outlets and permission for smoking breaks while on duty sustain the perception that we are not serious about reducing the use of tobacco.”
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My Comment: My father became a smoker when was fighting on the Russian front during the Second World War .... and as far as he was concerned (as he told me many times when smoking in front of me) .... smoking helped him make the unbearable bearable because at that moment in time when he lit a cigarette he always felt that he as in control of his life. Of course .... smoking is a stupid and unhealthy thing to do .... but for soldiers who smoked and who served in combat .... I understand why smoking was their one and sole pleasure in life. In today's war zones .... I guess the availability of high-speed Wi-Fi has replaced the smoking pleasure.
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