All that sweet, sweet beer!
December 3rd, 2009 | Chow Life at Sea Morale Royal Navy The Middle East | Posted by Phil Ewing
"All right, boys, everybody got it? We see any limey beer on this mission, crush first, ask questions second, understand?" "Hua, sarge!" // Spc. Maurice A. Galloway / Army
Scoop Deck doesn’t mind admitting a weakness for an ice-cold brewski every once in awhile during the off-duty hours, and as such, found this item shocking: The U.S. Army reportedly destroyed 7,000 cans of beer that were the former property of the Royal Navy in Iraq. After the Americans took over a British base in Umm Qasr, the soldiers rounded up the Brits’ leftover cans and crushed them with an armored vehicle.
Here’s the background, as written by reporter Oliver August of The Times of London:
The British had been forced to vacate the premises after the Iraqi parliament failed to ratify an intergovernmental agreement in July. Before leaving, the naval trainers packed their beer into a container at the base in Umm Qasr, intending to reclaim it when their legal status was settled. However, American servicemen are not allowed to drink alcohol at the base and so had no use for the 7,000 cans — with dire results.
The common room at the base, known as the AK Bar, serves Coors alcohol-free beer only. “You’d be more likely to get drunk from sniffing the hand sanitisers,” said one soldier.
Oh, the thought of all that beautiful beer, running into the sand under that scorching sun! At least it was non-alcoholic. In fact, maybe that’s the best thing that could’ve happened to it.
H/T: Shipbuilding expert Tim Colton, who gave credit to the Army for “a narrow escape from the ever-present threat of rampant alcoholism.”