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DEL.ICIO.USBooze wrapped in body armor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait — Don’t even try to bring alcohol into Kuwait.
It’s on the U.S. military’s list of “don’ts in Kuwait.â€? In official talk, it’s called “General Order Number 1A.” And soldiers must abide by it.
Booze is not the only thing banned. Also on the list: privately owned firearms, pornography, gambling, pets and promoting any religions.
The Army says it wants to be sensitive to “countries where laws and customs prohibit or restrict certain activities which are generally permissible in western societies.”
Jerry Williamson a documentary film maker from Redlands, Calif., learned the hard way recently at the Kuwait International Airport.
He had a bottle of scotch with him. It was a gift for a soldier.
Airport agents X-rayed his bags after he and a colleague got off the plane. They didn’t seem interested in their cameras, wires and tripods. And they weren’t concerned about Williamson’s body armor. But they wanted what was wrapped inside it.
Williams said the agent scowled at him as he confiscated the bottle.
“That was the only thing they were interested in,” Williamson said. “They went right after that bottle. It was good Scotch, too. Glenfiddich. Twelve years old.”
Of course, Williamson scoffed, the agent probably drank it on his way home.
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