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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Norwegian soldiers in Iraq drink alcohol while on duty |
| 2004-05-06 |
| Norwegian soldiers guarding Gardermoen military airport during the Iraq war relaxed with beer and pizza while on duty. Newspaper VG presented a photo taken by one of the soldiers on watch, showing four colleagues ignoring monitoring equipment in favor of other distractions. The photographer and former soldier posted the picture on a web site, saying that he wanted to give people a glimpse of what really goes on in the Norwegian defense. The photograph shows four soldiers, drinking beer, eating pizza and potato chips, playing chess and talking on the phone while paying no attention to surveillance equipment in the room. Base chief Kjell Belbo told VG that the men in the picture, as well as the photographer, have violated Defense security statutes. The incident has been reported to military police and Belbo has informed Air Defense staff and the Defense security administration. The picture was taken during heightened security at the military airport, which is also the nearest neighbor to Oslo’s Gardermoen International Airport. |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #14 Irish tend to be catholic, Norwegians tend to be Lutheran. Explains a lot about attitudes toward drinking. Doesn't exactly explain much about their behavior in Iraq. |
| Posted by: therien 2004-05-06 10:00:12 PM |
| #13 They need a drink staioned in that terrorist infested rat hole |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-05-06 8:14:21 PM |
| #12 Phil_B This is what I humbly call: THE PENNSALVANIA PARADOX! Beer is/was difficult to come by in PA unless you want to by it buy the case or keg. Else go into restaurant and buy six pack. Weird for redneck me. Please correct me if times have changed. And do they still liquor control card? Wife from Reading. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-06 7:16:27 PM |
| #11 Norwegians have an odd attitude to Alcohol. Access to alcohol is probably more restricted in Norway than any other place in the Western world, but Norwegians given the opportunity can REALLY drink. I knew some at my Irish university, and the Irish were completely in awe of the amount those guys could drink. This is a Norwegian newspaper and the article reflects Norwegian social attitudes to alcohol. |
| Posted by: Phil_B 2004-05-06 6:50:35 PM |
| #10 Yeah Shipman - Pizza and Potato Chips. Definitely not according to Adkins |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-06 6:15:54 PM |
| #9 Hell, I'd be wrecked every day if I was there... |
| Posted by: geezer 2004-05-06 5:57:23 PM |
| #8 pizza and potato chips? That's just wrong. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-06 5:02:51 PM |
| #7 Scandanavians have different strength beers for different occasions. In an earlier life, I worked with both the Royal Swedish Air Force and the Danish Air Force. Both allowed the drinking of relatively low alcohol content beer with meals while on duty. The Swedish brew (Three Crowns) in particular would compare favorably with a lot of the near beer (e.g. O'Douls) served in the states. This seems to be just another reporter with no clue about the real world. |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-05-06 4:38:26 PM |
| #6 "during the Iraq war" was interpreted as "in Iraq", doubtlessly as the journalist intended. Regardless, what would the penalty be for U.S. soldiers caught and photographed drinking on duty? |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-05-06 3:12:20 PM |
| #5 But don't vikings need food and beer before going into battle? :D Besides, Vikings don't prevent security breaches. They wait until they happen and then go kick ass. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4021 2004-05-06 2:49:44 PM |
| #4 4750, You appear to be correct unless Oslo is acquiring real estate in Iraq. The Vikings have been known to do that, however. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-05-06 2:13:05 PM |
| #3 slow news day. |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2004-05-06 2:10:33 PM |
| #2 Isn't Gardermoen airport in NORWAY, not Iraq? |
| Posted by: Anonymous4750 2004-05-06 12:41:31 PM |
| #1 Before I get too perturbed about this, I have to consider these guys are descendents of the real Vikings. These guys can be real nasty if need be. Again, why would someone be taking photos? A lot of monitoring places have multiple monitors of the same shot. I used to work for the late lamented Westec Security. There may have been others off camera who were monioring the SAME areas as were pictured as being unmanned on camera. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-06 12:33:41 PM |