HBO doesn't like the military either...big surprise...

[billc]

Well, I have read quite a few of the books the show the HBO show True Blood is based on. I stopped reading at the novel where Sookie was dating the were-tiger, the reviews of the novel after that were pretty bad so I stopped there. Now in the novels you have a peripheral character, one of the cooks at the bar where Sookie works. He was, from what I remember a way in the background character. When HBO made the series they decided to use this character to give a "shout out" to all those brave members of the U.S. military by having him be a veteran of the Iraq war. You would think that was enough, but you would be wrong. This brave (we'll get back to this term in a second) veteran is...wait for it...suffering from mental illness brought on by his war time experience. Thanks HBO for honoring our soldiers. Well, since the first season was pretty wretched, I stopped watching the show until this season. I was channel surfing and decided, let's see how bad True Blood is now, after several seasons.

Apparently, this season, this mentally ill, Iraq war vet has his own story line. Hooray for him. In this story line we learn that he was a brave soldier, honorably serving his country and the cause of freedom....I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing. The truth is, this character flashes back to his time in the Iraq war and...wait for it...engaged in atrocities. You see, his squad goes out on patrol, in a war zone, and decides to hold up in a bombed out building...(yes, it is a mosque and they desecrate it) so that they can drink the booze and use the drugs they brought with them. You know, standard operating procedure for U.S. troops in a war zone. Welllll, they leave one guy out front to keep a look out, it is a war zone after all, and a lone, unarmed Iraqi guy comes out and starts talking to the sentry. Yes, you guessed it, they get into a confrontation and the U.S. soldier shoots the unarmed civillian, but as they say...but wait, there's more. After he shoots this guy, a crowd comes out and starts yelling at our brave troops, who are now drunk and high. As the squad is confronting the crowd, an "alledged," terrorist type shoots at our brave soldiers...and then they open fire on the unarmed civilian crowd killing everyone...but wait, there's more. Once they have killed all these innocent civilians, there is of course one woman who is badly wounded, but still clinging to life, and you guessed it, instead of calling for medical help, the squad leader tells one of the soldiers to kill her because they have been over there too long to deal with the blow back from the atrocity they just committed.

Yes, much like the rest of hollywood, HBO and True Blood went out of their way to honor our soldiers.

 

[elder999]

Well, I have read quite a few of the books the show the HBO show True Blood is based on. I stopped reading at the novel where Sookie was dating the were-tiger, the reviews of the novel after that were pretty bad so I stopped there. Now in the novels you have a peripheral character, one of the cooks at the bar where Sookie works. He was, from what I remember a way in the background character. When HBO made the series they decided to use this character to give a "shout out" to all those brave members of the U.S. military by having him be a veteran of the Iraq war. You would think that was enough, but you would be wrong. This brave (we'll get back to this term in a second) veteran is...wait for it...suffering from mental illness brought on by his war time experience.

Up to 31 percent of soldiers returning from combat in Iraq experience depression or post-traumatic stress disorder that affects their jobs, relationships, or home life, according to a new study by Army researchers.

Apparently, this season, this mentally ill, Iraq war vet has his own story line. Hooray for him. In this story line we learn that he was a brave soldier, honorably serving his country and the cause of freedom....I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing. The truth is, this character flashes back to his time in the Iraq war and...wait for it...engaged in atrocities. You see, his squad goes out on patrol, in a war zone, and decides to hold up in a bombed out building...(yes, it is a mosque and they desecrate it) so that they can drink the booze and use the drugs they brought with them. You know, standard operating procedure for U.S. troops in a war zone.

Actually, it's likely the drugs that they would be using were prescribed for them by the military:

Troops and military health care providers also told Military Times that these medications are being prescribed, consumed, shared and traded in combat zones — despite some restrictions on the deployment of troops using those drugs.
The investigation also shows that drugs originally developed to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are now commonly used to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as headaches, nightmares, nervousness and fits of anger….
Antidepressants and anticonvulsants are the most common mental health medications prescribed to service members. Seventeen percent of the active-duty force, and as much as 6 percent of deployed troops, are on antidepressants, Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, the Army’s highest-ranking psychiatrist, told Congress on Feb. 24.
In contrast, about 10 percent of all Americans take antidepressants, according to a 2009 Columbia University study.
​

and:

* Antipsychotic medications, including Seroquel and Risperdal, spiked most dramatically — orders jumped by more than 200 percent, and annual spending more than quadrupled, from $4 million to $16 million.
* Use of anti-anxiety drugs and sedatives such as Valium and Ambien also rose substantially; orders increased 170 percent, while spending nearly tripled, from $6 million to about $17 million.
* Antiepileptic drugs, also known as anticonvulsants, were among the most commonly used psychiatric medications. Annual orders for these drugs increased about 70 percent, while spending more than doubled, from $16 million to $35 million.
* Antidepressants had a comparatively modest 40 percent gain in orders, but it was the only drug group to show an overall decrease in spending, from $49 million in 2001 to $41 million in 2009, a drop of 16 percent. The debut in recent years of cheaper generic versions of these drugs is likely responsible for driving down costs.
​

And soldiers have always gotten drunk in war zones, when the opportunity presented itself.

Although alcohol was banned in the combat zone, one of the sergeants had managed to buy vodka, and they drank cocktails together that night in the barracks, according to the statements. Later, drunk, the sergeants piled into a Humvee to bid goodbye to a female tower guard, according to testimony.

It was 3 a.m. when the group stopped at McKinney's guard tower. Shell called her down, and she joined them in the Humvee.

The particulars of that night began to unfold after McKinney's funeral, when Barbie Heavrin said she asked investigators for "all the details." She learned that there was no ill-fated trip to a latrine. McKinney's death was a criminal case.

Not all soldiers, of course, but always.....

Yes, much like the rest of hollywood, HBO and True Blood went out of their way to honor our soldiers.

I'd say they've done as good a job of "honoring our soldiers" as the government and military apparently have.......

 

[billc]

Sorry, the drugs they brought with them were obviously not prescription meds.

 

[elder999]

Sorry, the drugs they brought with them were obviously not prescription meds.

The booze, certainly not.

The "candy?" Pills. Obviously pills, and nothing more obvious than that-though far more likely to have been someone's prescription than not.

 

[billc]

Yes, I am sure the doctor that prescribed the drugs made sure to tell them to take them with alcohol, while on patrol, before they murder unarmed civilians. The pharmacist who issued the pills probably pointed out those directions on the label, as well, before he let them have them...:angel:

You missed this weeks episode where they killed the wounded Iraqi, civilian woman in cold blood.

 

[elder999]

Yes, I am sure the doctor that prescribed the drugs made sure to tell them to take them with alcohol, while on patrol, before they murder unarmed civilians. The pharmacist who issued the pills probably pointed out those directions on the label, as well, before he let them have them...:angel:

No, but let's look at the facts:

The military knows it has a problem with prescribing-and overprescribing all sorts of drugs, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and painkillers to active duty personnel in the field.

It's documented that there is drinking in the field.

It's documented that what some would call atrocities have been committed by U.S. military personnel.

How is it that "HBO doesn't like the military?"

I mean, a more accurate statement might be "Alexander Woo (the writer of episode 4 of this season) doesn't like the military," but an even more accurate statement might be "Alexander Woo has used some of the most unsavory aspects of the U.S. military's presence in Iraq as a plot device, and I find that distasteful."

Of course, objectivity is a bit much to ask in the case of such a clearly inflammatory and biased piece of propaganda as a show based on the incredibly realistic premise of vampires and werewolves running around like normal folks, consorting with witches and psychics...... :lfao:

You missed this weeks episode where they killed the wounded Iraqi, civilian woman in cold blood.

I didn't miss anything-I don't watch that program, or just about any other, really. Mad Men, Burn Notice, Dexter that's about it. I was disappointed when Life was canceled, and got tired of House about four years before it ended. Occasionally, Rita-that's the wife-will force me to watch some program she enjoys, like Hawaii Five-O,, but I refuse to get sucked into the continuity......

However:

Pentagon probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday. From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including seven women and three children.
One young Iraqi girl said the Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents. “The Americans came into the room where my father was praying,” she said, “and shot him.”

"In war, "innocents" are always killed-that is to say, women and children."-Mao Tse Tung

 

[Thesemindz]

I'm sure this couldn't just be a case of writers choosing to use emotionally charged characters and events in order to tell a fictional story. You forgot to mention that when they kill the last woman she puts a curse on them which sends a mystical fire demon to hunt down each of the members of the military unit in turn.

THIS JUST IN!!! HBO DOESN'T LIKE IMAGINARY FIRE DEMONS!!!

Get over yourself. Sometimes a story is just a story. I don't tune in to watch HBO kiss *** all over the armed forces. I can turn on lots of other channels to see that. I want to see a fun story about supernatural characters with lots of outrageous sex and graphic violence. Feel free to continue not watching it.

You see an agenda everywhere you look. Because you're looking for one.


-Rob

 

[WC_lun]

Yes, HBO dislikes the military...oh wait, aren't they the same company that made Band of Brothers, a very positive potrayal of Easy company in WWII? Sheesh, that means that maybe they niether dislike or like the military, but rather good storylines so they can get subscribers to make a profit. Thats capitalism right? Since Billi is posting a negative article about HBO using capitalism, that must mean Billi hates capitalism. That must mean Billi is a socialist!!! I see how this works now. It is kind of a fun little game.

 

[billc]

Yes, World War 2 the European theater is the only war that seems okay with hollywood. However, World War 2 the pacific theater gets trashed...by the same guy who made the show about the European theater...

Here is his tribute to the brave men who fought island to island against the Japanese Empire...

http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...ming-the-pacific/story-e6frfmvr-1225842406411

TOM Hanks is under fire for suggesting that World War II veterans are racist.

The star of Saving Private Ryan has twice compared the Second World War with the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying all three were about race.
Promoting his new series The Pacific, which was filmed in Melbourne and Queensland, he told MSNBC yesterday that the war drama "represents a war that was of racism and terror".
"The only way to complete one of these battles on these small specks of rock in the middle of nowhere was, and I'm sorry, to kill them all," Hanks said.
The dual Oscar-winner went further in Time magazine."Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as 'yellow, slant-eyed dogs' that believed in different gods," he said.
"They were out to kill us because our way of living was different.
"We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different.
"Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what's going on today?"

And it points out how he also attacked our current soldiers fighting the guys who murder innocent people...

Another article...

http://voices.yahoo.com/tom-hanks-pacific-controversy-5636224.html

One can only hope that those words were inartfully expressed or perhaps even misquoted. But they are out there and thus far Hanks had not chosen to clarify or, as many are now demanding, apologize for what appears to be a slander of not only the soldiers and Marines who fought in the Pacific but those who now fight against Islamist terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Victor Davis Hanson, himself a historian, asked the question, "Is Tom Hanks unhinged?" Until Hanks chooses to clarify and apologize, it is a fair question. Hanson offers a devastating refutation to Hanks, starting with the context of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, and ending with the inconvenient fact that the moment Japan stopped fighting, the United States spent a great deal of treasure rebuilding Japan to such an extent that it is now an economic rival and a military ally.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I don't watch HBO and I have zero interest in True Blood and books/movies of that sort.

However...

I have three young nephews, all of whom have served recently in the US Army (to my disgust, since I'm a Marine). Joking - I actually respect them for their service to our country.

However, I am reliably informed by them (and I have no reason to doubt them), that the US Army of today is basically a pill-factory. Pills for mood swings, ADD, and this that and the other, which I'm not going to get into. Suffice to say that it's rare to find a soldier who doesn't rattle when he walks because of the prescription pills in his pockets. And yeah, there's a lot of trading with friends and hooking up buddies.

http://www.army.mil/article/74584/

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/07/nation/la-na-army-medication-20120408

A fog of drugs and war
...
More than 110,000 active-duty Army troops last year took antidepressants, sedatives and other prescription medications. Some see a link to aberrant behavior.
April 07, 2012|By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
After two long-running wars with escalating levels of combat stress, more than 110,000 active-duty Army troops last year were taking prescribed antidepressants, narcotics, sedatives, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs, according to figures recently disclosed to The Times by the U.S. Army surgeon general. Nearly 8% of the active-duty Army is now on sedatives and more than 6% is on antidepressants — an eightfold increase since 2005.

"We have never medicated our troops to the extent we are doing now.... And I don't believe the current increase in suicides and homicides in the military is a coincidence," said Bart Billings, a former military psychologist who hosts an annual conference on combat stress.

The pharmacy consultant for the Army surgeon general says the military's use of the drugs is comparable to that in the civilian world. "It's not that we're using them more frequently or any differently," said Col. Carol Labadie. "As with any medication, you have to look at weighing the risk versus the benefits of somebody going on a medication."

This is not the military I served in back in the 1970s and 1980s. Things have changed.

I'm sorry to have to say it. You know I love and respect the US military and have the utmost respect for all veterans.

But something bad is happening.

 

[Tez3]

A few years back we had an American fighter across to fight on one of shows, a brilliant man called Skip Hall. I'd love to petition your president to get him sent here as Ambassador to the Court of St James as he's such a good representive for Americans however he's also a Vietnam vet who told us of the drugs they were given by the doctors, 'upper's and 'downers', he said most soldiers were addicted to something when they left. No one questioned anything as it was officially sanctioned.

Our soldier are compulsory drugs tested regularly and aren't actually given much by the docs, not even when they need it unfortunately however what is worrying is the vast amount of innoculations and different drugs such as the anti malaria ones they are given, some blame these for Gulf War Syndrome.

We have had some who are addicted to pain killers after serious injuries with them having to go into rehab and it was very common some years ago to have soldier's wives addicted to the old style tranquillisers handed out by army doctors basically to keep them 'happy'!

 

[elder999]

Yes, World War 2 the European theater is the only war that seems okay with hollywood. However, World War 2 the pacific theater gets trashed...by the same guy who made the show about the European theater...

Here is his tribute to the brave men who fought island to island against the Japanese Empire...
l

First off, war makes men go against something very basic for most of them-an aversion to taking human life. One of the best ways to get them to do this is to dehumanize the enemy-consequently, we have "Charlie Gook," of the Vietnam and Korean wars, "Filthy Japs," and "Rotten Jerries" of WWII, more "Rotten Jerries," in WWI, all the way back to "Johnny Reb" in our Civil War.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, we have "Hajis," and "Camel jockeys." It's just the way it is.

In WWII, though, we had the distinct pleasure of an enemy that was markedly different from most soldiers in a very physical and cultural way. And, of course, we were a more racist society, with racism being acceptable and expected at various levels of society, with segregation of all aspects of American life, but especially in the armed services-where accepted "race science" still said that the black man was to unintelligent and cowardly to be an effective soldier. We made AMericans of Japanese descent prisoners in their own country, but didn't do the same to Americans of German descent. We made Japanese-Americans serve in the E.T.O. exclusively, but permitted German-Americans to serve in both Asia and Europe-though this might have been justified as a safety matter for Japanese-American soldiers.

And we had lovely little racist bits like these:

View attachment $thumbnailCAX2ZQBR.jpgView attachment $Anti_Japanese_Propaganda1-ww2shots.jpg

So, again, I have to ask, in what way was Tom Hanks wrong?

 

[granfire]

I don't watch HBO and I have zero interest in True Blood and books/movies of that sort.

However...

I have three young nephews, all of whom have served recently in the US Army (to my disgust, since I'm a Marine). Joking - I actually respect them for their service to our country.

However, I am reliably informed by them (and I have no reason to doubt them), that the US Army of today is basically a pill-factory. Pills for mood swings, ADD, and this that and the other, which I'm not going to get into. Suffice to say that it's rare to find a soldier who doesn't rattle when he walks because of the prescription pills in his pockets. And yeah, there's a lot of trading with friends and hooking up buddies.

http://www.army.mil/article/74584/

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/07/nation/la-na-army-medication-20120408



This is not the military I served in back in the 1970s and 1980s. Things have changed.

I'm sorry to have to say it. You know I love and respect the US military and have the utmost respect for all veterans.

But something bad is happening.

So they do it like the civilian doctors....
It's been in the making for a long tie and you may thank DC and the pharma lobbyists for that one....I mean, why on earth is it even legal to advertise prescription drugs in Readers Digest?! To people who can't tell the difference between a sniffle and the flu. Who have no basic understanding of medications.

Take a pill, makes you feel better.

But that is a matter for another thread. (gotta go find some pain killers that will touch my back ache...) </sarcasm>

 

[elder999]

Take a pill, makes you feel better.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Take a pill, makes you feel better.

I quite understand. I take metformin for my diabetes. I have recently been taking vitamin D because my doctor asked me to, since my blood tests recently showed a very low level of it (it has risen to 'normal' level since I started taking it). Other than that, nothing.

And that gets some interesting reactions when I go to the doctor's office.

"What high blood pressure medication do you take?"
"None."
"None?" *look of incredulity*
"None."
"Ah.....OK. What cholesterol-lowering medication do you take?"
"None."
"None? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Did the doctor prescribe it and you're just not taking it?"
"No, I don't need it and I wasn't prescribed it."
"Hmmm."

So apparently, everyone my age and/or weight takes blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication. Nation of bloody pill-poppers, we are.

And this gem...

"Do you snore?"
"No, but I used to."
"How do you know?"
"My wife tells me."
"OK, I'm going to schedule your for a sleep study. Don't worry, your insurance will cover the cost."
"No, thank you."
"What? Don't you understand that sleep apnea kills?"
"Yes. I don't have it."
"Well, we'll have to schedule a sleep study to know that."
"I'm not going to take a sleep study."
"Why not?"
"Because supposing you find that I have sleep apnea (which I suspect is the universal answer to everyone who takes it), you'll prescribe a CPAP machine for me. Which costs hundreds of dollars, and I won't wear it anyway. So there's no point in this exercise."
"But sleep apnea kills!"
"Thank you for your time, doctor. Goodbye."

 

[oftheherd1]

A few years back we had an American fighter across to fight on one of shows, a brilliant man called Skip Hall. I'd love to petition your president to get him sent here as Ambassador to the Court of St James as he's such a good representive for Americans however he's also a Vietnam vet who told us of the drugs they were given by the doctors, 'upper's and 'downers', he said most soldiers were addicted to something when they left. No one questioned anything as it was officially sanctioned.

Our soldier are compulsory drugs tested regularly and aren't actually given much by the docs, not even when they need it unfortunately however what is worrying is the vast amount of innoculations and different drugs such as the anti malaria ones they are given, some blame these for Gulf War Syndrome.

We have had some who are addicted to pain killers after serious injuries with them having to go into rehab and it was very common some years ago to have soldier's wives addicted to the old style tranquillisers handed out by army doctors basically to keep them 'happy'!

How one describes Vietnam is very much when, who, and where. A mechanic at a division base camp in the delta in 1967, generally had very different experiences than an infantryman in the jungles of the Highlands at the same time. A soldier in Saigon in 1967 would report different 'facts' about Vietnam than an infantryman supporting pacification at LZ English in 1971. Drug use increased during the involvement of the US military. About 1967, there was for the most part, moderate marijuana use anywhere. Troops on patrols or company logger sites would not likely use marijuana, although they might well have with them. If they got to FSB security, or forward base camp security, they might take turns at getting high. There was a distinction between boozers and heads. They often tolerated each other if each kept within certain limits. However, as time went by, the gulf between them became more pronounced and less tolerated, especially as narcotics became a favored drug.

The use of marijuana was sometimes augmented by barbiturate use from the local drug stores. Then opium gained some favor, as the tincture used could be stored in whiskey bottles and disguised as booze. About the spring of 1970, heroin began to be sold and used. It was pure heroin. The usual progression was to smoke it, then snort it, and finally to inject it. It seemed to explode in use, moving from the first vial sightings in Saigon in Spring of 1970, to moderate use along the DMZ by August of that same year. Then it got worse. The military's reaction to bad press over drug use was to require anyone found in possession, to be sent to an in-country detox facility. If you used drugs and managed to avoid getting caught, before you could leave country, you had to submit to a drug test and would still be caught.

I would think Iraq and Afganistan would have similar tales and progressions, within the fact that we are into a much more tolerant civilian drug society (that's where the military comes from; the civilian populace), a volunteer military, and a greater recognition of PTSD. I can remember in the 50s and 60s, sometimes seeing TV shows which portrayed "bad" vets, who committed crimes after the WWII or Korea. (Take note of that billcihak, its not new, whether portrayed to show a poor vet or all military as deficient) If we acknowledged their plight at all, it was that they were "shell shocked." Of coures there was some small number who were bad people before they joined, and they didn't get any better, and maybe worse.

But again, think of the Vietnam vets who came home and were 'different' but we really didn't want to talk about it much. Many Vietnam vets were double traumatized, first by war experiences, then by becoming lumped into some big mystical group of baby killers, and weak minded misfits. Now we have a medical condition called PTSD. What do we do about it?

If we ignore them we are failing our responsibility. If we treat them, however ineffectively, we are making them drug addicts. Of course some of you probably think much of the military already is. I don't think so. But what do we do as a nation? What does the military do? Do we kick them out of the military? Do we pay them disability for life? If we keep them in the military, are those that don't exhibit or claim PTSD the only ones who have to go back to a combat zone.

One further comment. War crimes. They are indeed committed. By both sides. I think the US and most western countries are more likely to investigate any allegations of war crimes that get reported. But remember, combat is a rather unnatural circumstance to find oneself in. There are times of great boredom and often with no warning, times of absolute horrible panic. Some people handle that less well than others. They may in fact react by doing things they wouldn't have ever thought themselves capable of. I don't excuse crimes however. If we do something wrong, we must be ready to be held accountable. Just something for people to think about.

So if any of you have a good solution, please, let's hear it. But don't be too quick to put down all service people, nor hold all of them up as perfect either.

 

[Tez3]

When Skip was telling us about the drugs it wasn't marijuana or any drug which is called 'recreational' now it was drugs given to them by the military doctors as a matter of operational 'necessity', to keep them awake and then help them sleep. It was policy for the doctors to precribe soldiers this drugs and it was these drugs that soldiers became addicted to. Marijuana wasn't mentioned nor any other drug.

At the risk of annoying Steve yet again by mentioning the UK 'experience' our soldiers if found using drugs are usually discharged if found out on a drugs test, if they go to the medics before that though and say they need help getting off they will be helped.

 

[oftheherd1]

When Skip was telling us about the drugs it wasn't marijuana or any drug which is called 'recreational' now it was drugs given to them by the military doctors as a matter of operational 'necessity', to keep them awake and then help them sleep. It was policy for the doctors to precribe soldiers this drugs and it was these drugs that soldiers became addicted to. Marijuana wasn't mentioned nor any other drug.

At the risk of annoying Steve yet again by mentioning the UK 'experience' our soldiers if found using drugs are usually discharged if found out on a drugs test, if they go to the medics before that though and say they need help getting off they will be helped.

Not knowing when and where he was, it is hard to comment. I don't think that was the norm, but may have been for when and where he was. Granted, the medics had some leeway in what they carried and prescribed. For instance, they had morphine and darvon when in the field. Probably other things as well.

EDIT: I think our military is the same way as far as going to medical personnel and asking for help with a drug problem. It would then be considered a medical problem. If they are independently caught, they are probably going to be prosecuted. Some of our members now in the military would know about that.

Some police departments and government agencies operate that way as well. They will be given treatment/counseling and a last best chance.

I think the military is also randomly tested fairly often.

 

[elder999]

Not knowing when and where he was, it is hard to comment. I don't think that was the norm, but may have been for when and where he was. Granted, the medics had some leeway in what they carried and prescribed. For instance, they had morphine and darvon when in the field. Probably other things as well.

EDIT: I think our military is the same way as far as going to medical personnel and asking for help with a drug problem. It would then be considered a medical problem. If they are independently caught, they are probably going to be prosecuted. Some of our members now in the military would know about that.

Some police departments and government agencies operate that way as well. They will be given treatment/counseling and a last best chance.

I think the military is also randomly tested fairly often.

Our military has a long history of dispensing drugs to soldiers in the field-it's rumored that Elvis's drug use began in the military, with uppers to keep him up, and downers to go to sleep, but, as recently as 2002, U.S. pilots blamed a friendly-fire incident where four Canadian soldiers were killed, on amphetamines, dispensed by the military to keep them awake.

 

[oftheherd1]

Our military has a long history of dispensing drugs to soldiers in the field-it's rumored that Elvis's drug use began in the military, with uppers to keep him up, and downers to go to sleep, but, as recently as 2002, U.S. pilots blamed a friendly-fire incident where four Canadian soldiers were killed, on amphetamines, dispensed by the military to keep them awake.

That may be. I don't know. I was never in the Air Force. I can tell you about the US Army when I served in it. Bill can comment on the Marines. Do we have anyone on the forums from the Air Force? Technically, you are mixing apples and oranges. Soldiers are not airmen.

As to Elvis and use of drugs, as a celebrity he may have gotten some special treatment under the table. I don't know. He was before my time. I can assure you it was not US Army policy anywhere I was.