| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Iraq | |
| Tobacco Shortage Makes Marines Irritable | |
| 2003-04-01 | |
| There is a war on, and danger lurks ahead, and the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry are getting desperate — for tobacco. It's been two weeks since they left they relative luxury of their camp in Kuwait and their supplies of cigarettes and chewing tobacco are running out. They are rationing their precious supplies, and even begging smokes from local farmers. An army, Napoleon reputedly said, marches on its stomach. But for generations, armies have also marched on nicotine. And these Marines - smoking more than usual under the stress of battle conditions - are getting antsy. Cranky, irritable Marines, look out Sammy! It's hard to overestimate the importance of tobacco to the Marines. Cigarettes are smoked at every possible break and the doors of many Humvees are streaked brown from the spurts of tobacco-filled spit that shoot out of the windows every few minutes. Won't see these pictures on your evening news. Tobacco helps relieve boredom, relax or stay awake for long nights, the troops say. While living in their tent camp in Kuwait for nearly two months, the Marines were constantly resupplied with cigarette cartons and rolls of 10 tins of dip mailed by family members or with tobacco they bought themselves at the PX truck. But there are no stores in this desert, though many Marines swear they have huge stores of tobacco in the mail somewhere out there, there's yet to be a mail delivery and there's little hope for one soon. "The Dips in the mail!" With smokers and dippers becoming more desperate, the value of tobacco has exploded. Cpl. Aeron Jackson, 22, of Circleville, Ohio, sold 9 tins of chewing tobacco, for which he paid $4 each, for prices that started at $5 and escalated to $20 as his comrades run out. Now he is almost on empty himself. I see the plot for a GW2 movie. Sgt Bilko, seeing a chance to make a buck, driving a truckload of bootleg smokes across the desert with his crew of wacky sidekicks, gets lost in a sandstorm and winds up in Baghdad. Hilarity ensues as he trys to find his way back with his load of smokes, his team captures Saddam and wins the war. But most Marines, no matter how low their stocks, are sharing what little they have. "As soon as someone gets a can it's pretty much gone in a day," said Kibler. He offered to trade the entire contents of his day pack, except his sleeping bag, for one more tin. "Every time I see somebody light up a cigarette I'm right there: 'What's up, man?'" he said. So far, Marines have not exploded with nicotine rage. But they have become a little more irritable and uncomfortable. "The real test will come when we're up for long hours and no one's got dip or smokes," Kibler said. "If we're up for 30, 36 hours, you'll see people getting real edgy." "Don't make me edgy. You won't like me when I'm edgy!"
| |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 "Im surprised the professionally virtuous haven't succeeded in cutting off the availability of tobacco to U.S. forces "for their own good." They keep trying to stop on-base sales, the BX/PX and Commisary folks keep fighting back by saying they would loose a lot of sales from people just buying their tabacco off-base. The clubs and bowling centers are smoke-free, everyone has to go outside to smoke, and we were always being "urged" to attend stop smoking classes. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-04-01 13:21:42 |
| #6 Crikey. I saw this story last night and said, "nah, Rantburg wouldn't want this." I should have known better! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-04-01 10:57:21 |
| #5 "Im surprised the professionally virtuous haven't succeeded in cutting off the availability of tobacco to U.S. forces "for their own good." I'm sure they'd like too. But in a pitched battle between the Big Mommy Foundation and the USMC, who *you* gonna bet on? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-01 10:53:21 |
| #4 To quote Dr. David Banner on this subject: Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-04-01 10:12:57 |
| #3 I don't know... Any time I read "hilarity ensues" I cringe. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-01 09:59:06 |
| #2 That movie plot is hilarious. Get it copyrighted before Hollywood steals it. |
| Posted by: RW 2003-04-01 09:25:16 |
| #1 Jeez, what happened to the new healthy, non-smoking military that I used to see all the time on the news and read about in the paper? I guess that was all PC media bullshit too? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-01 09:18:18 |