Military Provided Cigarettes

[emmak]

B) Yesterday I ask my husband if he remembered getting small packs of cigarettes in his individual meal packages. He said yes, in fact he told me also about sea rations where the GI's also got cartons of cigarettes. All brands were given out for free. I don't believe this is done today but I question how the VA can refuse payment because of smoking in the military. My husband is a Vietnam vet and he went into the Army at the age of 17. A non smoker until then spending nine years in the Army. He left the military a smoker and continued smoking another 6 years then quit. That was 35 years ago.

To me the fact that the GI's were given cigarettes for free with meals tells me that the military actually supported cigarette smoking. I sure would like to hear what all of you think about this I recentlly found out that my husband has scaring, plurel infusions on his lungs. AO,asbestos or cigarettes. I don't know. B)

[RockyA1911]

I too went in the Marines and was in boot camp 5 days after my 17th birthday, Feb 1966. They are C-Rations, not sea rations, that we were given and we got those when in the field. C-Rations are an individual meal containing an accessories package that contained condiments such as salt, pepper, sugar, creamer, coffee, toilet paper, and a mini pack not sold to the public of cigarettes. They contained only four cigarettes with each meal.

When not in the field, either training or combat, C-Rations were not furnished and thus most of the meals were in a mess hall or hot chow in vacuum containers was furnished in the field. This was the majority of the time other than Vietnam. Hot Chow did not come with cigarettes at all, they only came with C-Rations and four cigarettes each of varying brands.

I never saw where any free cartons of cigarettes were given out at all, and I would have been first in line to get them if they did since my last name began with an A. During WWII and Korea there were meals called K-Rations that were bulk and distributed to a squad and the cigarettes were divided up.

[Berta]

Yes- they were in those C rats

This is an interesting scenario and claims have been filed regarding tobacco use in service-

In 1998 Congress barred all SC disability or death due to use of tobacco during service.

BUT service connection due to smoking and resulting disability can be found as presumptive-

and not completed barred at all-

See Office of General Counsel Pres Op #-2003--

yet many factors have to be considered on this type of claim-

in your case it could be one more potential way for the VA to SC-

There is much discussion in the VBM 2006 edition on this issue-

best to search BVA cases filed after 1998- and the OGC pres op available at the VA web site-

and I posted a tobacco related claim here somewhere-some time ago

[recruiterrick]

although i am younger than 50, i remember c-rats and by the way i am service connected for copd.

[les]

Yes I to loved to get those c rations. Hell with the crappy food I was on the hunt for the KOOL cigarettes. We would trade them sell them or for troops who did not smoke trade crappy food for these addictive butts. Hi I'm Les I'm a smoke a hollic. They are extremly addictive and the Goverment knows it! I feel they should rate for smoke related problems!

[SLEDGE]

I never saw any cartons either until my Mom started sending them to me that way.

I proffered filtered smokes.

Like the government, she changed her mind a few years ago and has been after me to quit.

I agree with the popular opinion that smoking is not good for you.

However, the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine include a big increase in my PTSD symptoms and I would rather face the uncertainty of the consequences of smoking than scare babies and the neighbors and family and the cops and live in a state of constant panic attack.

sledge

[edtremblay]

ham and lima beans lol makes me cringe just thinki9ng og them lol