Since there have been some fairly interesting illegal drug threads, I wanted to ask all past and present military men (and women?), did you happen to see the somewhat recent movie, ‘Buffalo Soldiers’? (now out on dvd).
If yes, I am curious to see what you thought of its realism (or lack) about service in the peacetime military of the 1980s.
I thought it was damn funny. In any case, the movie is worth seeing for just the scene in which an Abrams Tank drives right over (and completely flattens) a VW bug.
I saw the movie. Enjoyed it. I also spent much of the first 18 yrs of my life growing up on military bases as a military brat. I do remember that as a teenager living on a NATO base in Germany anyone who really wanted pot could find it on base just as easy as anywhere else. I wasn’t into it then but other teenagers who were could always get pot from GI’s. Of course that was in the Viet Nam era when many US military personnel where young draftees and didn’t want to be there in the first place…
I haven’t seen the movie, but when I was working with the Rangers…I don’t think I ever even heard anyone mention drugs. We were too busy with training and real world work for anyone to screw with anything like that.
I didn’t see the movie but was stationed in Germany in the early 80’s and the drugs were rampant. When I was stateside at Ft Jackson a dude brought all this cocaine in after Christmas “Exodus” and sent the drug dogs crazy in our room. We all were then lined up in the Day room and when asked a show of hands who did drugs during the Christmas break, all but 10 hands went up. They couldn’t even address trying to deal with 200 soldiers openly admitting to using drugs. So when I went over sees it was just a joke. I couldn’t beleive all the hash that was being smoked. Some got caught and were never punished, some never heard from again. The supply seargent was a clean guy and pee’d in everyones cup. If it wasn’t for my roomates, I wouldn’t have beleived it either, he really opened my eyes. The guys would take off their insignia, punch some holes in a Coke can and when they were done, they’d throw the thing out the window of the barracks, (not hard to do without screens on the windows). The one destination many weekenders did was to Amsterdam, couldn’t beleive it but you can get dope right off the menu. I escaped all by riding and racing in Europe. They were the best days of my life in some of the nicest countries on the planet. We were often hated for all the nukes we had on the continent but everyone in Normandy coastal area sure liked us. Drugs?, I thought that’s what made the whole thing work.
My experience? The year was 1987. I was standing my second ever duty NonCommissioned Officer post (overnight barracks/unit watch for the non-military out there). Part of the duties of the post involved touring the company parking lot every hour or so. So about 0100 I posted my assistant duty and went out to do my tour. I’m casually walking my post and hear voices at the back line of cars in the parking lot. The back line of cars butted up against a tree-line. No big deal, I thought. Probably some of the party boys coming back in from the strip clubs or bars. Well, the closer I get the better I could hear and the more curious I became. I was fairly naive to drugsat that time, having only smoked the nearly requisite occasional joint in high school. So imagine my surprise and moment of comprehension as I walked upon two Sergeants (I was a BRAND NEW corporal at the time, so they outranked me) snorting lines of coke off the back of a 70’s vintage Chevy Nova. This, of course, was well before cell phones. All I could do was order them to halt, step back from the car, and wait until I could get someone’s attention to get my a-duty or the Officer of the Day. Nervous moments, those were. Lucky for me someone else pulled into the parking lot about a minute after I discovered these two, since not only were both those guys senior to me, much bigger than me, but both were high on cocaine. I finally got the driver’s attention, who happened to be a friend of mine. Long story short. . .we finally got the Officer of the Day and then the MPs to come and take over the situation. A big investigation followed and a total of 23 Marines out of a unit of about 250 went down for illicit drug use including cocaine, crystal meth, and pot. Were there drugs in the 80’s? Hell yes. But the last 1/2 of the 80’s was certainly spent on rooting that crap out. Those were the days when ZERO tolerance seemed to really mean ZERO tolerance. These days. . .I’ve had several of my Marines test positive on the random urinalysis. Only one has ultimately been processed for discharge. But there is certainly far less use today than when I first entered the Marine Corps.
At least among the enlisted ranks, it appears to me that the US Army has a fairly serious substance abuse problem. I would say the most abused drug is alcohol, particularly among young PFCs and Specialists. I can’t adequately explain the problem drunk soldiers caused for me when I worked the bar district. On the weekends, or at the end of the moth (payday) I’d arrest several a night. Mostly for getting too drunk and fighting (usually over women, go figure). Interesting thing about the soldiers, they would generally fight with each other; only rarely would soldiers get into it with locals or the college kids.
Controlled substances are another story. We had a pretty bad problem with GIs bringing drugs into town via post. The last shooting I was involved in resulted from a drug deal between soldiers gone sour. My evidence is anecdotal, and based on my own experiences, but it seems like drug use is common in the military. The narc unit would pretty regularly work joint sting operations with CID.
I got off topic a bit. Sorry. haven’t seen the movie. sounds like I should check it out.
This experience is totally contrary to mine. Special Operations units are exactly like trying to qualify for Hawaii: A lot of people try but only a few- usually the best and most dedicated- succeed. Staying in is often times even harder than getting in since injuries from training, changing life situations (basically, you can’t have a life)and insane schedules rapidly create a high attrition rate.
I will say the unit I am familiar with had zero substance abuse problem, except occasionally the abuse of adreneline, and only in training and off duty. The divorce rate was probably in the 80-90% range I bet. Thinking back I can’t think of a single guy, with the exception of the C.O., who had anything resembing a normal life. Now I am told two guys do.
The U.S. military is a diverse culture and a cross section or microcosm of the riest of our society- for better and worse, it mirrors everything good and bad about U.S. culture.
There are good apples and some bad ones too. Just like the rest of U.S. society. I am privelged enough to tell you that the good apples are very, very good. Somewhat sadly, the majority of their contributions will never be recognized.
The biggest drug problem I saw was people who would have a joint specifically in order to get caught- via random drug testing- and therefore get thrown out of the service. Stupid, I know. And it was pretty rare. Probably (?) less common that guys who would claim to be gay in order to get out.
In other words, I didn’t see much drug use in the Navy.
"the abuse of adreneline…The divorce rate was probably in the 80-90% range …I can’t think of a single guy, …who had anything resembing a normal life… Now I am told two guys do. "
Based upon your comments it seems lke you’re saying these guys have their own serious problems. In fact similiar addictive personalities to a drug abuser but only channeled in a different way.
I was in the Marines from 1981-1990;Weapons Company/Echo Company 2nd Bn 7th Marines. We were always in the field and didn’t have much leisure time to get involved with drugs. A few dudes I knew were busted for smoking weed and they got HAMMERED.
I work in a Military Substance Abuse Center, and we are always filled to capacity. Does this mean there is a rampant problem with drugs and alcohol in the military NO, does this mean it is worse than the private sector no, but it does exist in all branches of service and all ranks.
I was a squid from 93 - 98 (got out one year early on a six year hitch). I saw both, people only smoking one joint to get caught and my roommate who had a list of which drugs were tested for (it the same as the FAA test given to air traffic controllers) and he took EVERYTHING else steroids, mushrooms, whippets you name it. We also had quite a few guys were where ‘just gay enough’ and a few on the ‘Feast for Freedom’ plan. I don’t know if you were on a ship or not but 320 days out to sea out of 365 makes everyone look for an out.
I didn’t see the movie, but I was in the Army in early 80’s. Field Artillery 2nd Armored Division. In Ft .Hood Texas. Did I see drugs? Yes. A lot? Yup. I didn’t do drugs but I did drink quit a bit.
One point I would like to make is, and I not making excuses I’m just trying to shed a little light on the subject.But when parents send little Tommy and Missy off to college what happens? Or Tommy and Missy head down to Florida for spring break are they being little angels? For the first time mom and dad are not around and what are they are going to do? Parrrrty!! Right, we all know it.
Now lets put Tommy in the Army at Ft. Hood Tx. So Tommy spends a week out in the field playing soldier and now he has a weekend off.What’s he going to do? Well lets see he could go down town and play with the Hookers or check out all the pawn shops or get a Tattoo! He could do my favorite and go to the topless bars.
Sorry after reading that I think I sound a little smart a$$y. I wasn’t trying to be.I want to make the point that we send our kids off to the Army and think every thing is going to be just fine. But in reality their 18 year old’s scared out of their wits, far from home and lonely.The base is in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by pawn shops and topless bars and most people around the base are not nice people(drug dealers,ex-cons,scam artist).Some don’t even have a car to get around with.Hell when I was in there, there had to be ten guys for every female.So what would you do? I tried to make the best of it and got out and went to college.I had two good friends one was busted for failed piss test (pot) and the other for DUI. They were busted in rank and confined to the barracks. I was down at the motor pool both times.A officer would go to their room and put a piece of paper in front of them and ask do you want to go home? If they signed on the dotted line they got a dishonorable discharge and where gone by the time I got back from the motor pool. I never got their phone # or addresses. They weren’t bad guys and I hope their doing well where ever they are.
I tell myself to never comment on anything, just keep my mouth shut but I couldnt help myself. Just my 2 cents.
Dave
One last thing! Two guys had been smoking a little pot on their off days.So the first guy tells the second guy, take these pills and when you take a piss test it will be negitive for pot. OK they get called in to piss in a cup. The second guy walks out of the stall and hands the tester his cup.The tester looks down in the cup and says “what hell is this?” He was so stupid he thought he was suppose to drop the pills in the cup. Needless to say both got busted.
Haven’t seen the movie, but will put it in the Netflix queue.
I will say this: In the time I was in(USAF, 1986-1991), I saw quite a bit of drug use. It was really kind of bizarre, because you could be on one flight in a squadron and never hear or see anything about drugs, then get transferred to another flight in the same squadron, and Bam! Whatever you want whenever you want. There were several waves of random testing, but they never seemed to call the guys who were using. They’d test guys who were straight as an arrow, while the guys who were tripping every weekend, always showing up late, and rarely in proper uniform never got called.
The real problem was everybody screwing everybody else. I knew at least 5 people who got kicked out for screwing someone else’s spouse and two guys who killed themselves because their girls were cheating on them.