No Tent Popping in This Army

Last night I was in very mixed company with a couple of people you would never imagine I would hang out with: a member of the US Army and the US Marines. Army, Marines and Peace Corps…hmm… But, hey, I’m an open-minded individual! And it’s a good thing too, because I learned a lot about the armed forces. One detail imparticular stood out to me in the conversation we had; apparently the young man in the Army could not get an erection after spending 4 months in bootcamp. I would think that most men experiencing such a problem would chalk it up to lack of practice. This soldier, however, told me it was because of Army food.

Food? Food would lead to Limp Dick Syndrome? I had to hear more! Apparently, rumor has it that the United States military loads up its food with some chemical that does not allow it’s soldiers to be sexually active in any affective way. Have you ever heard of such a thing? I haven’t, soI decided to do some research. What I found was a so-called “urban legend” known as THE SALTPETER PRINCIPLE. The claim that the Army puts saltpeter, or bromide, in the soldiers’ food has been believed for a long time. Take this quote from 1978 for example:

“It was certainly well-known that ‘they put bromide in the tea/coffee’ to reduce randiness,” but skeptics believe this is bogus; merely a means to explain why soldiers can’t ‘get it up’ instead of equating it with the rigors of training and the stress of Army life in general. Although I was unaware of this theory, it has been well-known and long disputed by the military, as well as medical professionals. Evidently, ingesting saltpeter can lead to the following problems: anemia, headache, nausea, dizziness, kidney damage, high blood pressure, and even death if the quantities are too high.

Since my research of this issue is minor at best, I cannot conclude anything at this point. I understand the reasoning on both sides of the argument. Usually I tend to believe the medical professionals, but, damn, another reason to counter the United States Military? How can I pass up the option to shout all about how the Army poisons its soldiers in yet another attempt to control them and do their bidding?

The information quoted above was retrieved from http://www.snopes.com/military/saltpeter.asp

Something you’ve learned about me above is that I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV as they call it). I spent this past summer in the Warm Heart of Africa otherwise known as Malawi. Three months of service was quite the experience. I learned a new language, was immersed in a new culture, lost all creature comforts of home, broke down my own boundaries, and became acquainted with some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I have ever met.

If you know anything about the United States Peace Corps, you’ll know that it’s a 2-year committment. Thus, my 3 month stint may sound strange. In fact, my service was cut short for a variety of reasons, most importantly due to my higher-ups not being willing to listen to my concerns and needs. At this point I would like to make it clear that these are only my opinions and do not reflect the US Peace Corps, but only myself. That being said, here is my biggest qualm: The Peace Corps has a 50% attrition rate, losing just about half of the volunteers they bring into the countries of need each year. Instead of doing something to change this statistic in order to get the most out of tax payer’s dollars and volunteers themselves, it seems to me that when a problem with a volunteer arises, they are more likely to advise their early termination than try to work with them to change the situation. In my case, I requested something fairly easy; a site change to a less remote area where I would be closer to other volunteers. It boggles my mind why they wouldn’t pair volunteers up in the first place. We are thrown into an isolated, foreign environment and told to fend for ourselves for 3 months until reconnect. See ya! I understand the idea behind community integration, but would two volunteers in a village make that any harder? On the contrary, I know I would have felt much more confident leaving my little hut if I had someone by my side. I also know I could have gotten more accomplished with another set of volunteer hands working with me.

This is just one of the reasons I ended up leaving when I did. Perhaps I’ll write more another day.

~ by peacewriter313 on October 5, 2007.