When smoking cigarettes, I do the same.I smoke cigarettes. As I learned in basic training, field strip the butt, put paper and filter in your pocket, toss in the proper receptacle. Or, spend an hour policing the flight's area plus any other extra duty the DI comes up with. It's not the cigarettes that are offensive. The offenders are simply the unthinking, uncaring, selfish boobs.
Maybe some more experienced members could help out. I didn't smoke back in the 70's on Parris Island but recall getting online for a butt detail and also the lesson in, "field stripping." What was the purpose--ecology? I remember hearing from one Vietnam Vet DI teaching us that the enemy can smell us--cigs, food, etc. Was that true back in the day? Just wondering???When smoking cigarettes, I do the same.
I observed a former military veteran "rub out" the lit cherry and step on it to put out the ember. She did this every time and it made sense.
When another asked her about it, the response was so that there was no trace in combat.
This "process" makes sense whether military or not.
Selfish boobs are the worst.I smoke cigarettes. As I learned in basic training, field strip the butt, put paper and filter in your pocket, toss in the proper receptacle. Or, spend an hour policing the flight's area plus any other extra duty the DI comes up with. It's not the cigarettes that are offensive. The offenders are simply the unthinking, uncaring, selfish boobs.
This process makes your fingers and pants smell bad. No biggie to a soldier in the bush. As a civilian I have abandoned this practiceWhen smoking cigarettes, I do the same.
I observed a former military veteran "rub out" the lit cherry and step on it to put out the ember. She did this every time and it made sense.
When another asked her about it, the response was so that there was no trace in combat.
This "process" makes sense whether military or not.
I was told you can smell a cigarette 100 yards away. I am sensitive; I could smell a person who has recently had a cigarette from about that distance. A lot of seasoned soldiers obviously wont smoke during combat, the real old soldiers will cease smoking days before they anticipate being in “the shit” because cigarette smell lingers. Further, I’ve even heard of guys in Vietnam that switched to indigenous food, basically so the VC couldn’t smell the hamburger coming out their pores.In basic the purpose of field stripping was to keep the flight/company area and all other places neat and clean. I remember painting rocks that were placed along walkways and such. Make work projects to blend the recruits into a unit.
In the presence of an enemy smoking is a good way of letting those down wind know you are about whether you're the predator or the prey. A trail of butts, is no different than ration wrappers, human waste, etc. for informing others your location or direction of travel. Do butts went into a pocket until they could be disposed of. Under fire? "smoke 'em if you got 'em and can do safely. The smell of smoke. insect repellent, etc. is another clue for the alert. Hell, I've known guys who could smell the bad guys from their body odor which is distinct due to diet. My nose wasn't that good.