Someone from the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka sent me this e-mail:
I might have an interesting story for you that has been kept pretty hush hush by hospital higher ups…
The USNH Yokosuka’s commanding officer has implemented a no smoking policy for all hospital staff. The directors here passed it down to the Chiefs and then they all told the staff they cannot even smoke on their lunch breaks. They are even sending khakis out to the smoke deck at PSD every now and then to check to see if they can catch some of us smoking.
I know of one LPO telling a junior corpsman, “if you even come back from lunch smelling like smoke, I’ll send you straight up to DRB, TODAY!”
They are pulling this new policy from SECNAVINST 5100.13E (last page).
When the CO was asked to give us some insight at his recent CO’s call he skating around the whole answer for about five minutes and didn’t give a clear answer.
On the surface this sounds like a complete abuse of power, but after looking at the instruction, the CO doesn’t seem to be doing anything wrong, and in fact, seems to be following orders. I’m completely against the so called “intrusive leadership” where khakis feel they have the right to stick their nose into your business, but at the same time, I do follow guidelines.
From SECNAVINST 5100.13E, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS TOBACCO POLICY:
c. Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery shall:
…
(4) prohibit military personnel from using tobacco products while in the presence of patients or while in uniform when representing Navy Medicine.
If I was the type of person who looked for loopholes in instructions, I may ask myself, where in the instruction did it say CO’s, or anyone other than the Chief of Medicine, have the right to issue such orders. Then again, CO’s are given almost a mythical status when they’re in command, so they can really get away with anything.
Sure this would suck if you are a smoker, but the only valid problem I can see with it, is having a Sailor who is craving nicotine in a position where needs to think fast and concentrate. Check out some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
What I find most ridiculous about this whole thing is while they can dictate who can and can’t smoke in uniform, all they can do to pregnant women who are smoking, is:
(c) Advise all pregnant tobacco users of the health risks to the fetus and where to obtain assistance to stop using tobacco.
We always have our priorities fucked up.
It’s been apparent for some time now where this issue is eventually headed. It would be more intellectually honest for SECDEF to just prohibit DOD personnel from smoking and get it over with. Military dependents would have to agree to not smoke as a condition of receiving benefits including medical care. DOD civilians would always have the option of quitting. But no, I don’t expect that would happen because of the uproar that would ensue. They will just continue to gradually restrict smoking in a piecemeal fashion until one day “No Smoking” will prevail. Until then we will have to endure the mixed signals being sent by the sale of tobacco at the NEX while at the same time having the opportunity to smoke become ever more restricted.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61546&source=rss
“Military health officials are pushing for higher prices for cigarettes and tobacco products at on-base stores to encourage servicemembers to stop smoking and chewing.”
For those of you who are smokers, try getting around the ban with an e-cigarette.
http://www.google.com/search?&q=e-cigarettes
A friend of mine went from smoking two packs a day of Marlboro Light 100’s to smoking nothing but an e-cig in less than two days. She’s now gone over two weeks without smoking a single “analog cigarette.”
Hey Jim – Thanks for that post. I guess the Navy Medicine folks are getting serious about setting the example. Although I am an ex-smoker and haven’t touched a butt (cigarette that is) for many years, I feel the pain of the Navy Corpsman smokers who are subject to this new policy. Now we have Smoking Police!
I can see the base exchange not selling tobacco products anymore. We in the military really don’t have much we can do about it. What’s next? Alcohol? Fast food?
I was just watching a WW II sub movie. The skipper, played by Glenn Ford, is feeling stressed after chasing Japanese destroyers near the entrance to Tokyo Bay and is told by the crusty Pharmacist Mate (now Corpsman), “Skipper – you need to go topside and have a smoke.” Those days are long gone for sure!
Jim – Looks like one of the Stars and Stripes reporters in Yokosuka picked up the story at this link:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61808
My LT warned me today after he came out of a meeting that this smoking thing my go a little farther out than a hospital. He got new word (and gave me a warning since we both frequently visit the smoke deck) that it might go to a navy wide ban on smoking in uniform and that’s being pushed by the SECNAV and navy surgeon general. And it’s supposed to be put out soon. You here anything Jim. Please for smokers sake say you have heard something on this that makes it not true
UPDATE: after speaking to my old LPO who was in on this meeting it is supposed to be a navy wide ban on smoking in uniform. But not only that no smoking on duty days regardless of what you are wearing. And that is to include (from what I was told) being underway on ships. This sounds like it’s going to pretty much be a all but flat out ban on smoking in the navy
They should ban the people who feel the need to smoke while walking to (insert destination here). I don’t mind people who smoke on the smoke deck because I never frequent that area, but when I’m walking on the sidewalk to wherever it is I’m going, I hate being behind someone who is smoking and I have to walk through their smoke. It disturbs me plus I really dislike the smell. The sidewalk is only big enough for a few people and when people exhale after a nice long drag on their cigarette, I can’t get seem to get away from the smoke, and I shouldn’t have to walk in the street to get away from it. That’s just a beef that I have but can do nothing about. It’s just not healthy especially for the mother and her child or children having to walk behind it. Anyways, I’ve gone on long enough.
Being an ex smoker for 13 years you would expect me to say this is bulls!*^ but I am not. I am in favor of this. I see military personnel in uniform walking to work with a smoke in their hand and I think how much it degrades the military and purpose. It is also very hypocritical of a hospital worker to smell of smoke when taking my blood pressure or educating me on the effects of my smoking. The time has come for people to admit that smoking is harmful to everyone and to kick the habit for good. Your arsh is the governments and I guess it is fitting they make sure you are healthy when possibly dying for your country.
I was reading the POD today and came across the subject of “Smoking Areas”. Here it what is states.
“All hands are reminded to utilize designated smoking areas. Each facility throughout CFAY has designated smoking areas that are properly marked and have appropriate receptacles. This means that while walking around base in civilian attire you are not authorized to smoke since it is not a designated area. Additionally when walking from point to point while in uniform, it is inappropriate and detracts from military smartness for personnel to be smoking or using tobacco products.”
I am pleased to read this. As I stated my contentment during quarters this morning, people told me to just walk around. I told them that it’s not my job to dodge the smoke and I’m not going to stress or walk faster to just get around the person in front of me who can’t wait to have a cigarette. I hope the MA’s enforce this rule as much as they enforce the others, but we’ll see.
Easy answer to this. Don’t smoke in uniform while in front of patients. If you are on lunch, you can smoke if you are not representing Navy Medicine. Or change into PT (non-Navy stuff) when you go to smoke. How bad you want to smoke is up to the individual. We had this problem when this instruction first came out many years ago. The Command is just misinterpreting what the instruction is really for. The intent of the instruction is to discourage the glamor of smoking. I am very anti-smoking, but feel the Command is dead wrong on this instruction. Just like it did in my past commands, it will go away soon.
My command just followed suit here not to long ago to. And, unfortunatly, it has no chance of going away here. Any time between when we show up for work till when we leave we can’t smoke. Techincaly we can’t even go home at lunch, get butt naked, and do the helicopter while smoking a cigarette, since we are still in a “duty status” during lunch time. Better yet since the hospital works on recruits a lot, and you can’t have military smoke any where near them, this rule is here to stick. Thank you retired fuck who threw in a complait about that.
Just wanted to thank Captain Zack for his eloquent contribution to the discussion. Once again he demonstrates his uncanny ability to elevate the level of social discourse and even included a gratuitous lambasting of that misanthropic group of his nemesis’ who having selfishly completed a career in the armed forces have the temerity to venture a comment on a discussion of current events. Well done (NOT).
Thank you (takes a bow)