We had one guy who didn’t drink in my German paratrooper unit. One out of one hundred and fifty.
For a time, he was the driver of our company commander which I thought was a wise decision. Don’t drink and drive!
However, during a field exercise in Italy, he pissed everyone off when, during a big drinking orgy, he loudly voiced his opinion about our alcohol habits: “when there’s one thing I really hate in the German Army, then it’s all these senseless drinking excesses!”
German soldiers having a few beers at the Cannstadter beer festival. (Photo: Stuttgarter Zeitung)
My captain almost spat his beer out. What a killjoy! Needless to say, after they had returned to Germany, our commander quickly found a replacement for him.
There was also a teetotaler in my unit in Bosnia. Again, one out of many. The poor guy had to serve amid a bunch of borderline alcoholics and full-blown drunkards. Fortunately, he was smarter than my German comrade and kept quiet about our drinking habits.
During the Kosovo War, things were a bit different. Most of the guys in my Kosovo Liberation Army unit were Muslims but this wasn’t the reason. Unlike in Bosnia, there weren’t that many alcoholic beverages around. We were happy when we had enough to eat.
On the few occasions where we had found a supply of alcoholic drinks, however, everyone got as drunk as s German paratrooper.