An Amerian Soldier Protects His Pretty Face, Sir!

AS if it wasn’t bad enough that thousands of US soldiers have to spend months overseas, they also have to put up with dozens of Pentagon-sanctioned public service announcements on TV every day.

American Forces Network is the official network of the US military. It broadcasts to troops in 177 countries every day. But because AFN cannot run commercials it has to find something to fill the 15 minutes or so of dead space in every hour of programming.

So in between episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Oprah Winfrey (I kid you not) the Defense Dept inserts adverts telling its troops to quit chewing tobacco or to stop leaving snacks on countertops.

In one advert, set in a bar, a servicewoman tells a male colleague that she enjoys watching him bend over a pool table (Sexual Harassment is Prohibited 24/7). In another, a Marine drill instructor says he always wears a safety belt to protect his pretty face (Always Buckle Up).

In total, 42 subject areas have been approved by the Pentagon, according to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal. They include a raft of road safety adverts about driving drunk, tired, on underinflated tires, without a helmet, with a cellphone or irresponsibly on narrow European roads.

None of this is surprising really when the US has hundreds of thousands of troops stationed overseas, many of them in large groups. At Afghanistan’s Kandahar Airfield, the WSJ reports that a miniature garrison town of 10,000 coalition troops has sprung up:

“The British have set up a pub-like coffee shop that shows rugby games. The Canadians have brought in their favorite bagelry and built a street-hockey rink, with lights for night games. The Americans have imported Burger King, Subway and Pizza Hut, which even delivers to the troops’ modular housing.”

Anorak

Posted: 3rd, April 2007 | In: Anorak In New York Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink