Thursday, February 12, 2009


Beer and sausages

TNR's blog "The Plank" enjoys the attention of some of the finest minds in the blogosphere. I try not to cannibalize too much from them, but this was irresistible. Furthermore, I thought my readers deserve a chance to laugh for once.

So here is commenter teplukhin2you informing his fellow-posters about the condition of German soldiers in Afghanistan:

Speaking of obesity, and Germany's contribution to the war on the Taliban, German media responded to a report that German soldiers in Afghanistan are consuming huge amounts of beer and sausages with suggestions that these soldiers who never see combat engage in ... more sports:

www.washingtonpost.com/.../AR2008111403512_pf.html

German Supply Lines Flow With Beer in Afghanistan

By Craig Whitlock

Washington Post Foreign Service

Saturday, November 15, 2008; A14

BERLIN, Nov. 14 -- Germany has been reluctant to send its soldiers to Afghanistan. Not so its beer.

Last year, the German armed forces shipped more than 260,000 gallons of home-brewed suds to its troops serving in northern Afghanistan, as well as more than 18,000 gallons of wine. On a per-soldier basis, that was the equivalent of a ration of 26 ounces of beer a day, all year long.

"Boozers in the Bundeswehr?" asked a headline in the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, using the German term for the federal armed forces. "High Proof Assignment," chortled Die Welt, a national paper.

[Spokesman Reinhold Robbe] expressed concern that perhaps the troops were doing too much sitting around. The Defense Ministry, he suggested, ought to offer its troops "an alternative to beer drinking, such as sports and cultural activities."

The March report concluded that the rank and file quaffed too much beer and ate too many sausages, while avoiding fruit and vegetables. It also blamed a stifling military bureaucracy for contributing to soldiers' "passive lifestyle."

"The disclosures are alarming," Robbe said at the time. "Plainly put, the soldiers are too fat, exercise too little and take little care of their diet."

And here is a literary improvization of same news by the master of irony of the TNR blogs:

Ironyroad said:

The official schedule for the Bundeswehr component, Afghanistan, Feb 11 2009

Circulation: All components (Verteiling: an alle Komonenten)

6 a.m. Reveille (Antritt zum Dienst)

6:15 Beer (Bier)

8 a.m. Briefing (Lagebesprechung)

9 a.m. Beer (Bier)

12 Lunch (Mittagessen)

1 p.m. Beer (Bier)

3 p.m. Read Washington Post article (Lesung von Artikel in der Washington Post)

3:15 Base commander's angry phone conversation with embassy representative in Kabul (Aufgeregtes Telefonat von Kommandantan mit Angehörige der deutschen Botschaft in Kabul)

3:30 Beer (bier)

4 p.m. Liaison meeting with U.S. forces representative regarding protective measures for strategically important NGO staff in areas of insurgent activity (Verbindungstreff mit Verterter der U.S. Streitkräfte bezüglich Schutzmassnahmen für strategisch wichtige NGO-Arbeiter in Bereichen mit aufständischen Aktivitäten)

5 p.m. Beer (Bier)

6 p.m. Taps (Zapfenstreich)

6:05 Dinner (Abendessen)

7 p.m. Beer (Bier)

8 p.m. Film: Pretty Woman -- local Afghan residents invited (Film: Pretty Woman [der mit Julia Roberts!] -- Enladung an örtlichen afghanishen Einwohner)

10 p.m. Beer (Bier)

11 p.m. Secret Sausage Party -- MP company is treating!! (Geheime Wurstfete -- MP-Kompanie lädt ein!)

12 Lights out (Lichte aus)

1 Comments:

At 4:12 AM EST, Blogger Terry Glavin said...

All that mob incitement and placard waving from one end of the world to the other just lately, but nary a peep about hundreds of thousands of Muslims driven from their lands, hundreds beheaded, schools destroyed by the score, here:

http://tinyurl.com/bcgob2

 

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