Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

During WWII, the U.S. Army handed out nearly 350 billion cigarettes to soldiers. Commanders understood that cigarettes, thought harmless at the time, helped calm soldiers by acting as a psychological coping mechanism to both stimulate the system and relieve tension. Nicotine acts as a toxin when it first enters the blood stream by constricting vessels and restricting the flow of blood. Then the blood vessels relax which lowers blood pressure and provides a calming effect.

Tobacco was a comfort item packed into rations as a morale booster. Different brands were used with the most common being Chesterfields. A matchbook with a row of 10 matches was included in the K Ration Dinner unit.

On the U.S. homefront, cigarette advertisements portrayed smoking as patriotic, relieving stress, increasing battle performance, and as a connection to home. Cigarettes were one of the top items requested by soldiers and sent to them by their parents.

During the post war period in Europe only gold, silver, gems, and precious metals were valid as currency. For nearly three years after the fighting ended, cigarettes remained the only stable currency in Germany, Italy, and France. Almost anything could be bought with cigarettes. The occupying Allied forces outlawed this black-market exchange, but it flourished anyway. It literally saved the lives of many German civilians and was lucrative for American soldiers.

After the government subsidized cigarette addiction of WWII, the link between tobacco and health problems became evident in the mid 1960s. Yet, smoking inside military facilities was not banned until 1994.