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)

[recruiterrick]

"Service medical records indicate the following concerning the disability: 4-8-97 -diagnosis of rule out copd, 4-15-97 -a pulmonary function test indicated a an FEVI of 94% and indicated that a small airway disease was suggested. VA examination on 10-3-97 indicated a diagnosis of copd secondary to tobacco use. The examiner indicated the disease was manifest by a shortness of breath."

I retired 7-30-97, and the above was listed on my initial rating decision dated 03/05/98.

i hope this answers your questions. if you need more info tell me, and i'll try to get it for you B)

[betrayed]

Funny thing, the VA still has not adjudicated my claims for sleep apnea or COPD, they have all the evidence, the PFT's going back 20 years, the sleep studies etc, I use a CPAP..............but like my claim for 9422 Chronic pain they have been ignored, I wonder if it has anything to do with my smoking I STARTED IN BOOT CAMP AT THE FAMOUS SMOKE AND COKES!

[RockyA1911]

OK,what's wrong with saying it? The Ham and Limas were called Ham and Mother F###&&& and they came with the pecan roll. Ham and Mothers for short. The grease was white and hard as a rock and took at least 3 heat tabs to melt the grease. The only other C-rat worse to my taste was the Ham&Eggs chopped with juices, ugh!!!! It was as close to Hill's horsemeat dog food as you could get both in looks and taste!

Remember the Boned Chicken and Boned Turkey C-rat meal had the fruit cocktail and peaches. I got so good at the position of the 12 meals that I knew which one was which when they would turn them upside down so we couldn't read what they were. Then the platoon sergeant got wise and would just dump them upside down and then hand you the one he wanted you to have, so you could not even select. Then there was all the trades made before eating them among the rest of the platoon. I could get 3 cans of stuff with meat in them for one can of the fruit cocktail.

Edited July 11, 2007 by RockyA1911

[71M10]

Not a smoker, never have been. But I couldn't count how many times while I was in, and in formation I heard "rest", smoke-em if you got them! At that point regardless of my own personal decision i was a smoker B) . I doubt we will ever see a presumptive service connection for second hand smoke B) .

Currently my lung problems are related to Kyphosis (flattened Diaphram) and Sleep Apnea. Just dont think I can get a medical opinion to link that to second hand smoke!

[JohnM]

So if you got on the list for AO lawsuit and you started smoking while in the service will they reject you? They only want none smokers if you have lung cancer.But if you started smoking while in the service and then developed lung cance years later how can they say that you can not get on the list

JohnM's Wife Dianne

[john999]

I believe that even if you smoked ten packs a day as long as you were exposed to AO then lung cancer would be service connected. For God's sake quit smoking if you can but smoking is no bar to compensation for AO conditions.