Proposal to ban smoking in military draws flak

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq (AP) — 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.

“Your nerves get all rattled and you need something to calm you down,” said Staff Sgt. Jerry Benson of San Bernadino, Calif., with the 5th Stryker Brigade in southern Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates seems to agree.

“He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is,” said his press secretary, Geoff Morrell. “I don’t think he is interested in adding to the stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress.”

He said Gates is not planning any ban but is reviewing the study by the Institute of Medicine, which provides independent advice to policymakers, health professionals and the public, to see if steps can be taken toward having a smoke-free force some day.

U.S. military personnel and veterans interviewed by The Associated Press had strong opinions about life in the military without cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.

Some said it would cut medical costs and make the force healthier, and eliminating smoking breaks would increase productivity. Others said it would dampen morale and reduce recruitment to the all-volunteer military.

Nearly all, however, said it was impractical and probably would never happen.

“Smoking has been proven bad for your health, but it’s a choice. It’s not illegal. Drunk driving is illegal,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexander Roehm, 23, of Cincinnati. The airman at Falcon base smokes 10 to 20 cigarettes a day and also chews tobacco.

“Look at the movies. Smoking is one of the things you always see with Vietnam and World War II films. In World War II, smoking was a big thing,” he said. “My grandpa used to say that cigarettes were one of the big things that they were real happy to get. It was just something to do.”

Staff Sgt. Joe Dunn, 32, said he’s been smoking for about 15 years.

“It’s an outrage,” he said of the proposed ban. “Being forced to stop — not on my own terms — is something I’d have a hard time dealing with.”

In 2005, a third of the active- duty military smoked compared with a fifth of the adult U.S. population, the Institute of Medicine study said. Tobacco use in the military declined overall from 1980 to 2005, but is now reflecting the effects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.