Tobacco pipes and the military

Tobacco pipes have a long history with the military in most countries. We couldn’t think of a better time to kick off our first ever sitewide sale (more on that later).

First, a little history…

Memorial Day Weekend, for those of us in The United States, is the kickoff of the summer season. Here in Florida, we’ll be enjoying the beach and dusting off the boat docks. We hope you’re going to find a few minutes to relax too.

Before we light up the grill, we want to take a moment to remember what the day commemorates (then we can have some fun too)!

The origins of the holiday are hotly contested. A number of American towns claim “first” recognition rights. Wherever it started, Memorial Day began to be widely observed in 1868 when General John A. Logan named May 30th “Decoration Day” which set aside this specific occasion for decorating--primarily with flowers--the graves of soldiers who fell during warfare at Arlington Cemetery.

On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Waterloo, New York the birthplace of Memorial Day. Two years later, the holiday was officially made a federal holiday, on the fourth Monday in May, each year.

Remember what Memorial Day is

All of this history reminds us of one thing, that over a million American men and women have died in the service of their country. That means, on average, more than a dozen people per day die to protect our way of life. With that in mind, we urge you to take a quiet moment to honor their sacrifice this weekend. 

A brief history of pipes and the military

We hear stories of sailors at sea, communing together while smoking a pipe and watching the waves go by. We read blog and forum posts from all branches, ages and experience levels of military men and women using a few quiet minutes to smoke a bowl of tobacco to relax from their stressful jobs. These modern soldiers are carrying on a tradition hundreds of years old and almost universal.

The slow easy minutes of smoking a bowl of pipe tobacco makes it the perfect balm for some of the most stressful places in a soldier’s life.

From the clay pipes of the Revolutionary War era, to the cobs of Douglas MacArthur, American soldiers (and their counterparts around the world) have used the humble hobby we love to sooth, relax and commune together.

A moment of celebration

Whatever your plans this weekend, we hope you take a few quiet minutes to smoke your favorite pipe in honor of our fallen soldiers. If you are blessed to run across someone who is serving or has served, please take a moment to say thank you.