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Tobacco Talk: Helping Veterans Kick the Habit  

Richard T. McCarthy, veterans' service officer for the city of North Adams, is all too familiar with the reasons why so many veterans smoke.

A Vietnam-era vet, McCarthy served in the Army Airborne. He told me that, for every hour of training, they'd get a 10-minute break and the order, "Take 10 and light 'em if ya got 'em."

In those days, cigarettes were subsidized by the military. They came in C-rations pack, and free cartons were passed around. Sure enough, many vets first started smoking when they joined the service. Maybe this is one of the reasons veterans still smoke at a higher rate than the general population.

In Massachusetts, veterans smoke at a 33 percent higher rate than other adults the same age. And they pay the price by suffering from more cancer, heart disease, respiratory diseases and other illnesses caused by smoking.

Now through June 30, Massachusetts veterans, members of the National Guard and their families who call the state's Quitline at 1-800-Try-to-STOP are eligible for a free four-week supply of nicotine patches and telephone support to help them quit smoking.

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