Is Tobacco: A clear and present danger to the military??

But should the Pentagon get involved with smoking in the military?? I just don't know because it may be seen as an infringement on military personnel because cigarettes and cigars are perfectly acceptable by many young people. As a Personal Trainer I often lectured my younger clients to avoid alcohol and smoking & put on their running shoes and do a few miles when they got the urge for a drink or a cigarette but I don't think any of them followed my advice.

Sgt Tom Cunnally The Pentagon should get involved in the same way the US Government should get involved in the Health of US Citizens. In an Education & Advice standpoint only. "It's a bad habit, you shouldn't do it."

AT LEAST 108 million people, military and civilian, were killed in wars in the 20th century. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly as many people — 100 million — were killed as a result of tobacco use. If current trends continue, the organization predicts that as many as 1 billion will die this century from using tobacco.

What role does the Department of Defense play in this? And what can be done to change the vector and momentum of the military’s part in tobacco’s course with death?

Tobacco is linked to much of our nation’s history, sometimes coincidentally, sometimes as cause and effect. Consider Jamestown and tobacco commercialization, slavery and the Civil War. In the 20th century, an entire generation returned from World War I addicted to smoking, and in 1943 billions of cigarettes were rolled and sold for the war effort.

But it’s important to acknowledge two things: Tobacco’s harm was not well understood until the 1960s, and the Department of Defense has tried and continues to try to curb tobacco use.