Navy Bans Tobacco Use on Its Submarine Fleet

nyt ^ | 6/20/10 | Thom Shanker

[Nachum]

WASHINGTON — The smoking lamp is going out all across the Navy’s submarine fleet, where the mission to “run silent, run deep” now will be carried out by sailors ordered to run undersea operations without cigarettes, cigars or pipes.

This is the latest front in the long war against tobacco declared by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Their programs to help military personnel kick the smoking habit are intended to protect the health of the current force — and to save the government hundreds of millions of dollars a year in health care costs for those who have served, and smoked, in uniform.

[SamuraiScot]

and to save the government hundreds of millions of dollars a year in health care costs for those who have served, and smoked, in uniform.

How curious. A lie. It will cost the government millions more in medical care if sailors don't smoke, because they will (on average) live longer.

But that would be assuming that Obongo's Veterans Affairs Dept. has any intention whatsoever of paying for veterans medical care, which it doesn't. So it's an ideological game (disassembling our military and its male culture) without a cost to the Reds in the White House.

[TexasTransplant]

My Son wanted to be an Instructor at Nuc School, with the new changes (and others) now he is not even going to re-enlist... wouldn’t tell me why on the phone.

TT

[Nachum]

When you find out why, could you FReepmail me to tell me why?

[Rembrandt]

While they’re at it, they ought to issue them all pink panties.

[TXnMA]

I’m surprised the Navy hasn’t banned smoking aboard subs before now — just because of its stress on air purification/recycling systems...

[Rembrandt]

“PacBell built a new data center in San Diego in 1983. The cafeteria floor space was split between smoking and non-smoking. By mid-1985, the ceilings on the smoking side were yellowish-brown. The air intakes on the ceiling were the same way. On the “office floors”, there was a designated smoking room. Inside of 6 months, not even the smokers would enter those rooms. The janitorial staff was explicitly directly not to leave the doors open to the office working space as the stench was unbearable. Eventually, the whole building was declared non-smoking and some very expensive renovation took place to make the smoking areas acceptable for use again.”

‘Acceptable’ to who? To those handing down rules?

[Salamander]

He’s technically right but they should still be able to smoke considering they’re serving, albeit ironically, to keep their country free.

This is gonna crank up the Thorazine rations, for sure.

Welcome to the new, ecologically friendlier military.

*sigh*

[Guyin4Os]

What do ya do with a drunken sailor, what do ya do with a drunken sailor, what do ya do with a drunken sailor, earl-eye in the morrrning? Confiscate his smokes and make him suffer, confiscate his smokes and make him suffer, confiscate his smokes and make him suffer, earl-eye in the morrrning.

[Deagle]

Actually, I imagine that they only allowed smoking on deck, not within the sub. But, open air smoking should not have been banned, but I’m sure the smoking Nazi’s had something to do with that...

[Salamander]

Yet people [used to be mostly women but now it’s men, too] can go *anywhere* drenched in perfume that makes some people deathly ill due to the non-FDA regulated toxic ingredients....because it’s an “acceptable” poison.

[truthguy]

This is a tough call for me. I'm allergic to cigarette smoke and it makes me very ill. So all my life I've had to suffer from the smoke that others create. But I'm also a strong libertarian type. So my views are in conflict. Now if a bar or restaurant wants a smoking policy, then I'll frequent another place. That's an easy solution. And if someone wants to smoke outside and I don't have to experience the smoke, fine as well. But I'm glad they outlawed smoking on airliners. I use to hate to fly because of the smoke. Now I hate to fly for other reasons.

All in all, I think this is good. The great majority of men in the Navy are probably non-smokers today. So why should they have to suffer on these long sea voyages? They shouldn't have to breath in the filthy smoke and they cannot get away from it on a submarine like they could on a surface ship.

I'll probably get slammed for these views but so be it.

[truthguy]

I guess we will trade lung cancer for Mouth, tongue, jaw, stomach and esophageal cancers as navel personnel swap smoking tobacco for smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco).

Why either or? Why not neither? I work with an ex-submariner and he doesn't use tobacco in any form. Doesn't seem to hurt him.

Just chew gum. That won't offend anyone.

[JouleZ]

“The janitorial staff was explicitly directly not to leave the doors open to the office working space as the stench was unbearable.”
__________________________________________________________

I’m sure the janitors were just as sensitive to the unbearable stench of plugged toilets from fat ass employees. We all have something we hate. You seem to hate smokers. I can’t abide gassy, farty, BM’s. To each his own yet smokers are the new lepers while over-eating gas bags are okay. I’ll take a smoker any day over a farting, toilet filling, stinker. BTW, both gasses, whether from lungs or colon, are debateable as to health risks. I prefer the smell of smoke over human waste any day.

[Deagle]

Heh... From you descriptions of “tobacco smoke”, I don’t think it was hard for you to form your opinion.

[truthguy]

Smoking if really a filthy habbit and I'm glad to see the changes we've made. I do think sometimes we go too far. If someone wants to smoke on a park bench in the open air, and I don't have to breathe it or smell it, then that's okay.

But I've had to suffer for years in many situations where I have to breathe in the garbage. We have a lot of troglodytes here on FR who just can't imagine that other people don't want to breathe in their smoke. It's supreme arrogance for people of their generation although I'm probably as old as some of them. Smokers really don't appreciate just how much non-smokers suffer when they have to breathe in their smoke. I've even had to return rental cars after just a few miles because the smell was so bad from whoever had the car last. I glad of these new rules.

[Deagle]

Don’t drive in LA...

[LouAvul]

That was a funny response. :)

[truthguy]

To each his own yet smokers are the new lepers while over-eating gas bags are okay. I’ll take a smoker any day over a farting, toilet filling, stinker. BTW, both gasses, whether from lungs or colon, are debateable as to health risks. I prefer the smell of smoke over human waste any day.

False Dichotomy. Because someone hates cigarette doesn't mean they don't also hate the bodily odors you so elegantly described. But it isn't very often that people have to suffer from you describe. But cigarette smoke is quite common and is ubiquitous. So you are making a ridiculous comparison. I like the new non-smoking laws and rules. It's one of the few things that I think is better today than what it use to be.

[truthguy]

I stay away from LA whenever I can but the air is a lot cleaner on the LA freeways than in a room of smokers.

[Deagle]

Heh... Haven’t been in a room full of smokers, but have been in LA. LA is much worse....