Say Anything Blog

Pentagon bans troops from smoking

It’s an iconic image of war movies - a battle-weary GI sits down during a lull in the fighting and steals a few drags on a cigarette.
But the real-life perk of cut-price smokes for servicemen could soon be a thing of the past - because of health concerns.
Pentagon health experts are urging U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates to ban troops from smoking and end the sale of tobacco in PXs, the military base shops where cheap tobacco has always been popular.

The heaviest smokers - perhaps not surprisingly - were soldiers and Marines on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
About 37 per cent of soldiers and 36 per cent of Marines used tobacco. Combat veterans were 50 per cent more likely to smoke than troops who hadn’t seen any fighting, the report said.

Defence chiefs said they were determined to make their fighting forces smoke-free - no matter how unpopular it could prove among frontline troops.
The report said a first-step would be to demand that all new recruits must be non-smokers.
Smoking should be banned on all U.S. military bases, ships and aircraft, and ‘any tobacco use while in uniform should be prohibited’.

Next, make them all wear dresses, get in touch with their feminine side, be registered Democrats and then only carry their guns for show, no bullets allowed.

This is the military, fighting men, tough, machismo men that risk their lives for LIBERTY and we are playing politically correct games with our first line of defense. My God, what’s next, pink uniforms?

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