My friend Ed Robinson passes along a link to this website.
I’m never quite sure what “support the troops” means, but this seems as good a way as any.
One of the small but telling ironies of this nasty little war is that our troops on the ground are not allowed to consume alcohol. No stopping by the enlisted men’s club for a cold one after a tough day of routing out terrorists. There is no Miller time in Iraq, this out of sensitivity to the Muslim prohibition against alcohol.
So as we’re over there fighting for their freedom and ours here at home—so it is hoped we will believe—our own troops are forced to conform to the tenets of a faith not their own. I think that’s wrong. I think commanders should have the balls to say to the locals, “Hey, we’re infidels! We’re drinking us some beer! Get used to it!”
One of the small but telling ironies of this nasty little war is that our troops on the ground are not allowed to consume alcohol. No stopping by the enlisted men’s club for a cold one after a tough day of routing out terrorists. There is no Miller time in Iraq, this out of sensitivity to the Muslim prohibition against alcohol.
So as we’re over there fighting for their freedom and ours here at home—so it is hoped we will believe—our own troops are forced to conform to the tenets of a faith not their own. I think that’s wrong. I think commanders should have the balls to say to the locals, “Hey, we’re infidels! We’re drinking us some beer! Get used to it!”
Wanna bet those suits in the embassy find a way to smuggle in some liquid refreshment?
2 comments:
As I recall, the primary contents of cargo planes flying into 'Nam were cases of beer.
I wonder what happened to all the cans...
The Vietnamese are probably using them now to make consumer electronics. I know for sure they weren't wasted.
Back in my day, after a tough shift in the comm center, we'd hit the PX for a sixpack and then back to our tents to smoke a few joints and play poker or just hang out. I did my tour, for the most part, in a kind of Vietnam Green Zone.
Still, it was tough duty what with the heat and lack of amenities and the occasional rocket or mortar dropped in to remind us there's a war on here. Drugs and alcohol were our coping mechanism.
What kind of army demands abstinence from its troops? It's just too much to ask.
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