I retired from the US Army in 1994. When I did, smokers were a distinct minority. The official army policy was that smoking was to be discouraged; ergo, if you were a leader and you smoked, you were not being a very good leader. Smoking could affect your career.
That may seem harsh, but I supported it and agreed with it, and not just because I'm a non-smoker. In a 22-year military career, I was able to observe the long-term effects of smoking on the guys who came up through the ranks with me. No one I knew got lung cancer or had heart attacks, but a lot of my buddies who smoked found it much harder every year to run two miles and pass the army fitness test. One of my best friends hit the 18-year mark and his lungs simply could not process enough oxygen to allow him to run two miles in the allotted time. In case you don't know, the army is completely unforgiving if you can't pass the PT test. You get two chances and then you're discharged -- no pension, just a pat on the back.
Now I'm here on a US base in relatively safe southern Iraq and I can't help notice that smoking has made a strong rebound. Non-smokers are the minority now. In our tent city, where our sleeping quarters are located, there are smoke-break hutches. They are the popular hang outs. People are always there, smoking, chatting, and relaxing. It's the cool place to be. Who would deny them that in this environment? I certainly wouldn't. But I can't help wondering how many of them will have military retirement snatched away from them just short of the 20-year mark. We've got a whole new generation of military smokers. Maybe it's a good time to buy some tobacco stock.
On another note, I can't help thinking that right now, we've got Iraqis killing Iraqis, Iraqis killing Americans, and Americans killing Iraqis. Now if we go home, wouldn't we eliminate two thirds of that deadly triangle? Just a simple thought for a president who likes to keep things simple.