German forces in Afghanistan: Oversupply of booze

[Pacific5th]

When the Iraqis were looting Baghdad in 03 we were buying booze off them along with pop and other random things. After the invasion and sitting in Kuwait for for a few months we got pretty messed up pretty easy. Looking back I’m surprised something bad didn’t happen. Of coarse that palled in comparison to what happened when the ships they brought us back on made port calls in Sydney and Brisbane. Four days of overnight limbo in each port was great. Literally woke up with a tattoo I did not remember getting. There were drunk Marines and Sailors all over those city’s and the locals treated us great.

[Chubbs103]

In 2006 the north side of the civilian section at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) had a building known as the "duty free shop." They had liquor, cigarettes, body armor, and who knows what else for sale. There were some very attractive young ladies working there. It was run like a speak easy with a little slot in the door that would open up so they could look you over.

10th Mountain was running security for the check point to get back to the coalition military ring road. They would often search your car if they thought you had been over that way.

[Averageman]

In 2006 the north side of the civilian section at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) had a building known as the "duty free shop." They had liquor, cigarettes, body armor, and who knows what else for sale. There were some very attractive young ladies working there. It was run like a speak easy with a little slot in the door that would open up so they could look you over.

10th Mountain was running security for the check point to get back to the coalition military ring road. They would often search your car if they thought you had been over that way.

Here was the trick with that.
Clear liquor in water bottles and whiskey in apple juice bottles, dump all the remains long before you head back in the rattiest form of transportation you have, with the bottles in their cases and covered with sand. If you were working with the Africans, it was even easier.
I believe that worked for some gentlemen I know; right up until someone lost fourteen grand in a card game. He explained to his wife how he needed to pay this guy and that he was sorry, he was a little drunk when he was playing cards.
She goes nuts and calls HR and complains about the card game and not knowing how this would snowball, but it did.
Everyone was fired or sent back to Kuwait.

[JoshNC]

If I were running things, if we can't bring our booze and porn we ain't fixing your country...

Amen. And I would add that if our fighters can’t have carnal relations with the local women, that’s a no go as well.

[Diamondback]

Amen. And I would add that if our fighters can’t have carnal relations with the local women, that’s a no go as well.

Considering the long history of hostility military leadership has had with allowing horny young troops ANY source of relief, to the point of some units on isolated airfields in the WWII PTO even banning NOSE ART on planes... I'd suspect it's a premise of "the more pissed off at not getting any they are, the meaner they'll be and thus the faster they'll break the enemy in the foolish hope we'll let them go home sooner."

[Chubbs103]

If I were running things, if we can't bring our booze and porn we ain't fixing your country...

I can't count how many times I flew through Al Udeid in Qatar. There is a brief you sit through while they explain what can and cannot be in your luggage and offer a trip to the "amnesty box" no questions asked if you have contraband. I always thought it would be funny to reach into my bag and take the biggest, floppiest sex toy I could find and wiggle it over and drop it in. Alas, I never had the guts.

I was flying through the civilian airport in Qatar and one of my co-workers thought it would be funny to include a bunch of porno mags in with stuff I was transporting for a different unit. Turns out, it wasn't funny.

[titsonritz]

I was flying through the civilian airport in Qatar and one of my co-workers thought it would be funny to include a bunch of porno mags in with stuff I was transporting for a different unit. Turns out, it wasn't funny.

Sounds pretty funny to me.

[AndyLate]

Why mess around with that Arab bathtub gin? One of my employees would just send her husband Listerine bottles full of Jack Daniels (1bottle per shipment, of course).

We remained in Saudi Arabia after Desert Storm wrapped and the Joes had some Phillipine guys who could supply water bottles full of decent moonshine.


Andy

[chuckman]

When the Iraqis were looting Baghdad in 03 we were buying booze off them along with pop and other random things. After the invasion and sitting in Kuwait for for a few months we got pretty messed up pretty easy. Looking back I’m surprised something bad didn’t happen. Of coarse that palled in comparison to what happened when the ships they brought us back on made port calls in Sydney and Brisbane. Four days of overnight limbo in each port was great. Literally woke up with a tattoo I did not remember getting. There were drunk Marines and Sailors all over those city’s and the locals treated us great.

Australians love Marines. LOVE them. They have a fascinating institutional memory of the Corps' in WW2, and that loved has never waned. I have fond experiences with them up the coast in Cairns.

Maybe it was because of my NEC, maybe it was because of my units, I never seemed to have trouble finding booze.

[TehLlama]

Aw that sucks. The hidden bar behind the hospital on Marmal used to be really cool. I can confirm the Germans have beer in Afghanistan. I have drank a lot of beer with Germans in Afghanistan.

Yup. Too bad it was way more efficient for me to pack mule Malrboros and Cope from the Dutch PX out to the PB's