Beer for the troops in American History
In America’s early wars beer, considered a more healthful beverage than water, was included in the men’s rations. In lieu of beer, cider or spruce beer could be offered. The ration established by Congress was a liberal one, a quart per day in the Continental Army, later increased to two quarts. During the so called Great Awakening, an early religious revival in the young United States, the nation’s first temperance movements took hold, and the wisdom of providing alcoholic beverages to the troops was questioned to the point that Congress did away with the ration. Soldiers of the American Civil War were not provided government supplied beer.
The Civil War was known for long encampments, and soldiers quickly became bored with the routine of the camps. Boredom was alleviated through gambling at cards and dice (both sinful activities according to the temperance crowd) playing at a newly popular game called baseball, and consuming beer. The beer came from the camp followers who were officially barred from selling it to enlisted men unless they were accompanied by an officer. They sold it anyway, and the officers and commanders of the Union armies turned a blind eye to the activity. Many soldiers in extended encampments brewed their own beer, another illegality ignored by authority.
During the First World War the government did not officially provide beer to the troops of the American Expeditionary Force. The soldiers soon found the outlets which sold it and other alcoholic beverages in Paris and other French cities and towns, and American dollars were readily exchanged. During the Second World War the military and civilian leadership recognized that the availability of beer at base recreational facilities may serve to keep the troops from encountering other bothersome activities which tend to congregate around military facilities, such as prostitution and grifting. In order to protect the troops and enhance morale, beer became part of the American war effort.
Breweries in the United States were directed to set aside 15% of production for distribution to the troops (they also got 30% of cigarette production). American breweries shipped cases of beer in cans and bottles to ports on both coasts to be shipped to the troops overseas. Some breweries shipped their beer in camouflaged cans in order to make it more difficult to spot from overhead by the prying eyes of enemy aircraft. Officially the beer was rationed but enterprising soldiers soon found ways to circumvent that inconvenience. In Korea and in Vietnam, beer was provided to the troops at nominal cost, although in neither of those conflicts was there a mandatory amount of supply placed on the brewers.
As recently as the Gulf War the military leadership recognized the need to provide beer and other alcoholic beverages to enhance the morale of the troops, despite their deployment in some areas where alcohol is prohibited due to religious law. In those cases, a rotation system was established to allow troops to enjoy some time off where there were no proscriptions against alcohol, and the American government ensured that there were sufficient supplies of beer and other beverages to keep the troops happy. The relationship between beer and the United States military is a long one, and shows no sign of coming to an unhappy ending.