Obviously unconcerned about his future health
About 30% of all US military personnel are smokers
The US military should be smoke-free within the next 20 years, says a government-commissioned report.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) said 30% of army personnel are smokers, leading to "very high" economic and health costs.
But it acknowledged that the change could be hard to introduce, as smoking has "long been associated with the image of a tough, fearless warrior". ( Not quite, it has long been associated with guys who have been scared shitless and need to calm their nerves so they can do the next God awful thing asked of them.)
The Pentagon has said it supports the idea and believes it is "achievable".
The report, commissioned by the Pentagon and the US Veterans' Administration (VA), says the US Defense Department spends more than $1.6bn (£1bn) every year on tobacco-related medical care, hospital treatment and lost days of work.
It said that rates of tobacco smoking in the military have increased since 1998, and may be as high as 50% among service personnel returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. ( I wonder why?)
Soldiers who smoked were less fit, had worse night vision, and recovered more slowly from wounds.
"These troops are essentially putting their lives at risk twice: once in service to their country and once in service to tobacco," said Stuart Bondurant, chair of the report committee.
"Tobacco is a long term engagement - it kills slowly and insidiously." (as opposed to riding in a humvee)
'Achievable'
The report said the armed services already "acknowledge that tobacco use impairs the readiness of military personnel and results in enormous health and financial costs". ( Whoever wrote that was obviously never shot at.)
But it criticised them for allowing smoking on military sites, giving less attention to tobacco use than alcohol abuse and for selling tobacco products to troops at reduced prices. ( Are we still talking about the military?)
A spokesperson for the Pentagon said the department was in full support of the goal of a tobacco-free military.
Cynthia Smith told the AFP news agency that the goal was "achievable through the development and execution of a comprehensive plan as recommended by the IOM report". ( Of course they are. There are more ass kissers per square meter in the Pentagon than any other place on earth)
"We look forward to using the committee's findings and recommendations as we address this challenging health and readiness issue," she said. ( Challenging, you have no idea.)
