Roll out the barrel

Journalists are not ones to follow General Order Anything ...


Martin Savidge reports from the field for CNN on major breaking news stories and has anchored several of the network's regularly scheduled newscasts.

Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news around the world.

By Martin Savidge
CNN

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- So there I was chatting on the satellite phone to someone back in the States, describing life here. It seems there are a lot of myths floating around out there about life with the military in remote regions.

Let's cut to the chase here: I'm talking about beer.

"Yeah," this person said, "sure, life's kind of hard but at least you've got all that beer to help you through."

"Beer?" I asked.

"Yeah, all the stuff the breweries donate to the soldiers overseas during a war." He spoke as if this was as traditional as blowing reveille.

"There's no beer here," I said.

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CNN's Martin Savidge reports that after nearly 19 days, largest battle of war against terrorism completed (March 19)

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EXTRA INFORMATION

Images from Operation Anaconda

Map of Afghanistan showing the location of the fighting

Savidge reports: The Battlefield

A reporter's reflections

The road home

Getting out

Mining snow

I mean, the other day more than 500 Canadian soldiers showed up without so much as a single skunked Moosehead between them, eh? Of course, there are rumors that some of the international coalition members have a still. I rule out the Jordanians. The Norwegians? Maybe. Lets face it, if all you do all day is look for mines, maybe you need something to take off the jitters.

And there are other stories I could mention in the special forces but I can't reveal them -- you know, Secret Squirrel stuff. But even those tales, I suspect, are just sort of urban-legend or military-myth kind of things.

So let me lay this issue to rest for anyone who may be harboring these same beliefs. Like the polka song says, "In heaven, there ain't no beer." And that goes for Kandahar here, too.

General Order No. 1 in the Afghan theater of operations strictly forbids it and no soldier worth his or her salt would get shellacked while facing the possibility of getting the same treatment from the enemy.

In fact, the only alcohol I've seen here is at the security checkpoint at the base entrance, here at Kandahar Airport, where we also have our media base. You often find bottles of it, full bottles. These are not the guards' bottles -- they tend to belong to the sheepish-looking journalists standing to one side, coming in to stay a bit. Journalists are not ones to follow General Order Anything.

I'm as guilty as any. I once remember being on board an aircraft carrier for several weeks, tooling around the Arabian Sea. I was told on board ship in this region -- since shore leave is rare because of the threat of terrorism -- that the captain can, at his discretion, grant the crew two beers each after 45 days at sea.

There are 3,000 to 5,000 people on a carrier. That meant there had to be a virtual floating brewery on board. I made it my solemn task to investigate. I searched high and low but never found it. I suspect they must store it under lock and key very near the nuclear reactor that powers the ship. It's about the only place a journalist isn't allowed to go.

There's no nuclear reactor here at Kandahar Airport. And no beer.

Sheesh -- next you're going to claim the dancing girls perform every night.

Tomorrow: The showers have come to "Camp Kandahar." But waiting in line for them? Savidge on "how long a person who hasn't had a shower in a month will take when given the chance."