The U.S. military has a long history with tobacco products. Cigarettes were issued in daily rations throughout World Wars I and II and even into the Vietnam War. This unhealthy tradition came to a formal end in 1975, and today, we hope tobacco use will soon be just that — a thing of the past.
Though experts consider smoking to be the leading cause of preventable death, there are still many Airmen who engage in tobacco use.
During November we put extra emphasis on tobacco cessation due to the staggering impact it has not only to the health of our individual Airmen, but also the readiness of our force.
Studies have shown that smokers are more likely to drop out of the military before they fulfill their enlistment commitments, they have worse vision and night-vision, they don’t perform as well on fitness tests, and they miss more work.
On the battlefield, they bleed harder after surgery, heal slower after injury and are at higher risk for infection.
After deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, smokers return home only to face a startling statistic: about half of them will eventually die from a smoking-related illness. They face cancer, stroke, heart disease, emphysema and diabetes — nevermind the stained teeth, halitosis, wrinkles, asthma, bronchitis and potential for impotence.
Our Airmen put their lives at risk twice: once in service to their country and once in service to tobacco.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that lost duty time in the Air Force from smoking amounts to 3,573 full-time equivalents per year — equal to the loss of an average Air Force wing.
Nowhere in our great Air Force can we afford that type of mission degradation, particularly here in the KMC.
Tobacco use impacts our force and the long-term health of our Airmen, and their second-hand smoke threatens wingmen, friends and family.
On Thursday, the date of the 35th annual American Cancer Society “Great American Smokeout,” I encourage smokers and non-smokers alike to take action through our “adopt-a-smoker” campaign.
Non-smokers are encouraged to team up and adopt a smoker to help coach and support them to quit tobacco for the day.
The emphasis is, “If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.”
The Ramstein Health and Wellness Center will provide teams with tobacco tool kits that contain resources and information to assist their adopted smoker in achieving their goal of being tobacco free.
There is no better time to make a life-changing decision that will positively impact not only you, but also your family, your co-workers and the Air Force.
The Department of Defense has launched an online interactive tobacco cessation program at www.ucanquit2.org/, which developers hope will help bring military tobacco use rates down.
Twitter
Facebook
The U.S. military has a long history with tobacco products. Cigarettes were issued in daily rations throughout World Wars I and II and even into the Vietnam War. This unhealthy tradition came to a formal end in 1975, and today, we hope tobacco use will soon be just that — a thing of the past.
Though experts consider smoking to be the leading cause of preventable death, there are still many Airmen who engage in tobacco use.
During November we put extra emphasis on tobacco cessation due to the staggering impact it has not only to the health of our individual Airmen, but also the readiness of our force.
Studies have shown that smokers are more likely to drop out of the military before they fulfill their enlistment commitments, they have worse vision and night-vision, they don’t perform as well on fitness tests, and they miss more work.
On the battlefield, they bleed harder after surgery, heal slower after injury and are at higher risk for infection.
After deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, smokers return home only to face a startling statistic: about half of them will eventually die from a smoking-related illness. They face cancer, stroke, heart disease, emphysema and diabetes — nevermind the stained teeth, halitosis, wrinkles, asthma, bronchitis and potential for impotence.
Our Airmen put their lives at risk twice: once in service to their country and once in service to tobacco.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that lost duty time in the Air Force from smoking amounts to 3,573 full-time equivalents per year — equal to the loss of an average Air Force wing.
Nowhere in our great Air Force can we afford that type of mission degradation, particularly here in the KMC.
Tobacco use impacts our force and the long-term health of our Airmen, and their second-hand smoke threatens wingmen, friends and family.
On Thursday, the date of the 35th annual American Cancer Society “Great American Smokeout,” I encourage smokers and non-smokers alike to take action through our “adopt-a-smoker” campaign.
Non-smokers are encouraged to team up and adopt a smoker to help coach and support them to quit tobacco for the day.
The emphasis is, “If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.”
The Ramstein Health and Wellness Center will provide teams with tobacco tool kits that contain resources and information to assist their adopted smoker in achieving their goal of being tobacco free.
There is no better time to make a life-changing decision that will positively impact not only you, but also your family, your co-workers and the Air Force.
The Department of Defense has launched an online interactive tobacco cessation program at www.ucanquit2.org/, which developers hope will help bring military tobacco use rates down.