Sepia Saturday 705. Eighteenth in a series about letters from my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau while he was in the US Army during WWII.
Returning to chronological order, my paternal uncle Frederic Mason Charboneau continued his Sept. 25, 1942, letter to his mother, Mary (Owen) Charboneau, with some telling information about a US soldier’s life.
Given what we now know about the dangers of tobacco smoking, I was dismayed to read the passages below describing the steady flow of cigarettes to the troops during WWII — gifts that were facilitated by the military and the tobacco companies.
“Somewhere in England. Sept. 25, 1942, Dear Mom, So far, I have received one carton of cigarettes and from the looks of it you won’t have to send any more for a while, if I get all that is promised me. You say you sent another carton, Franny [Fred’s second oldest brother] wrote and said that he was sending another carton, and also he had put my name in the American Legion for them to send me a carton.“
“Owen [Fred’s oldest brother] in his letter said he had made arrangements for the Camel Company to send me a carton,” Uncle Fred wrote, “And also for the Smokes for Soldiers organization to send me a carton, so it looks as though I should be well supplied. Anyway, I am able to buy all I need each week at our canteen.“
Big tobacco and the Greatest Generation
The American Legion? The Camel Company? Smokes for Soldiers? The Army canteen? Carton after carton? It boggles the mind.
Yet from WWI until the mid 1970s, it was accepted military policy — fueled by big tobacco companies — to keep troops on the front lines supplied with cigarettes as part of the “war effort.”
This left me wondering: How many of the Greatest Generation survived WWII only to suffer later from health conditions brought on by so much cigarette smoking?
On a lighter note, Uncle Fred wrote that he was also supplied with a most welcome beverage that turned his thoughts homeward.
Beer and brotherly joshing
“We are now able to get, once a week, two cans of American Beer which certainly taste swell,” he wrote. “It almost seems like home to be able to get things like this away over here.”
Uncle Fred was not above some brotherly joking around in his letters, either — such as this passage about my dad Norm [his youngest brother] and their cousin Bud [Albert Bernard Charboneau], who were training to become officers.
“So, we are going to have a couple of officers in the family. I won’t be able to say Boo when this war is over, and I get back home. They will be able to order me around and I will have to obey them. Who I am talking about is Norman and Bud. That is what this ROTC [Reserve Office Training] course that Norman is taking is for, isn’t it. What about the draft. Now that Norman has started into college, will he be subject to it if they lower the age limit, and I see by the papers that they might after the election.”
Concluding with thoughts of home
As always, Uncle Fred concluded his letter with commentary on life back in his Otter Lake, N.Y., hometown — including a reference to his Welsh-Irish mother’s superstitious belief that “bad luck comes in threes.”
“I received a letter from Marion [wife of Fred’s brother Franny] the other day, and she said that you have had some fires up north. The league [Otter Lake Association] had a fire which she said damaged about $1,000,000 worth of property and then a couple of other hotels burnt. Well, there is your groups of three again. I guess that’s all for this time, Love, Fred.”
Up next: Uncle Fred’s take on family news from back home. Please stop back! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday.
© 2024 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.
Uncle Fred’s letters are so fascinating, I enjoy your series. Thank you for sharing. I too have many of my father’s letters from WWII. They reveal so much.
My father and his two brothers enlisted and joined the Army on the same day. All three had left Virginia to work in the coal mines of West Virginia. All three left the coal mines to served our country with honor.
All three smoked Camel cigarettes. I wonder if they got hooked while serving in Europe. Both uncles died from cancer related illnesses. Uncle Henry, troat cancer and Uncle James died of lung cancer. My Dad stop smoking cold turkey when he began having respiratory issues.
It is interesting that Camel cigarettes was their favorite brand of choice. This blog has been very thought provoking.
Continued success, Molly.
So sad to hear about the impact of cigarettes on your family, Ruth. Like your dad, my father also quit smoking after older siblings became ill. I hope you do something with your father’s letters. It’s important for the rank-and-file soldiers’ voices to be heard. Good luck with your writing.
Wow, that is CRAZY to see how well supplied they were with cigarettes and that it was actually part of the “war effort”! LOve all these letters that give us a glimpse into the life of a soldier. 🙂
I thought the same thing. If only they had known the risks!
Enjoyed the post!
My late father was in WWII (Army Air Corps) in Italy. He said cigarettes were given out, and also available for 5 cents a pack up to a certain number. He did not smoke, but bought extra cigarettes and then bartered them for other items. He also said some men hoarded cigarettes, especially when they knew they were going home, and he recalled seeing guys on the troop ship with duffel bags full of cigarettes.
I bet the tobacco companies were delighted to “support the war effort” with their cigarette program — it ensured millions of smokers to continue their habit when back in the U.S. of course, many soldiers already smoked before their deployment, but I bet a lot started smoking to counter boredom, fear, etc. When you see WWII newsreels, it seems like everyone has a cigarette….
Cheers,
Tom Lincoln
Thanks for these details of your dad’s experience, Tom. The fact that cigarettes became a form of currency among the troops during WWII shows how prevalent they were! And you’re right about those newsreels — and even movies from that period — where smoking was featured as commonplace.
I enjoy reading old letters. They are a testimony to the everyday life of average people. Such details as the ones given in the above letters are most often lost later, only big history pictures/events stay in the official records. Thanks for sharing!
Well observed, Aleksandra. History is made by everyday people, and their voices are vital to our understanding of big events.
It is crazy to think how smoking was such a part or the culture for so many decades. My mother smoked all during my pregnancy in the 1960’s. I always enjoy reading this series and to check in with how Uncle Fred is doing.
Thanks, Jenny. My parents both smoked, but when health issues began to affect my dad’s older brothers, thankfully they both quit
Cigarettes were such a symbol of kindness. I know from my own community in World War Two , Earlston War Works Party raised money for their Comforts Fund – and cigarettes were the prized gift in the Comforts Parcels sent to troops and prisoners of war. My father was a heavy smoker but when his sister in law died of lung cancer linked to her smoking, he stopped immediately. This was 1961 when the dangers of tobacco were becoming more and more evident.
Very true, Sue. Those who sent cigarettes to the troops saw it as a service — only later did the true repercussions of smoking come to light. That’s when my parents both quit.
It interesting how your series on Uncle Fred’s army experience can reveal larger implications of how the war changed Americans. The ad for Camel cigarettes was chilling for me as that was my grandfather’s brand for most of his life. In the 1920s he joined the Marines at age 17 and was sent to a little-remembered conflict in Nicaragua. In WWI the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company had already discovered the value of hooking young men on its poisonous products, but the postwar era brought more powerful marketing and lobbying campaigns. It’s tragic that so many men (and women too) succumbed to tobacco and, like my grandfather who died in his sixties from emphysema, shortened their lives because of its toxic and addictive properties.
I’m glad you brought up WWI, because that’s when the military and big tobacco began collaborating on supplying cigarettes to the troops. By the time WWII came along, the practice was unfortunately well established.
Fascinating. I loved the joshing about obeying the officers.
Tobacco companies sure tried to get people hooked.
I found the joshing funny as well — especially since Uncle Fred would be taking orders from his brother and cousin who were younger than him!
Everyone thought supplying soldiers with cigarettes was a thoughtfull, kind thing to do in those days. In retrospect, we shudder at the thought, but back then, as the saying goes, “Who knew?” I am really enjoying this trip down memory lane with your Uncle Fred’s letters. How wonderful you have them.
“Who knew” is right! Sending items from back home to someone in service was not always easy — but sending cigarettes was. So many family members turned to this as a form of “gift giving,” unaware of the health impacts.
What a shame that ever since tobacco was discovered in America, until finally the medical statistics showed what it did to us, it was such a popular drug (yes it does give different moods) to so many of us! I remember the feelings I had when I was a smoker, and how many times I stayed away from friends/situations where they were still smoking after I quit. Remember all those workers standing at entrances to office buildings? But that all those service men and women had free cigarettes is so sad, in retrospect.
Interesting observations, Barb. I remember when smoking was also allowed in the workplace and wonder how much second-hand smoke everyone was exposed to during those years. Thankfully, that has changed — to the betterment of everyone’s health.