Veterans Offered Free Help to Quit Smoking
Free help is offered to help veterans quit smoking.
Operation Quit Tobacco offers coaching and free medication to all Wisconsin military personnel who want to quit.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says about 60 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are smoking, compared to 19 percent of the general population.
It can complicate a soldier’s ability to heal.
“Soldiers who smoke are at greater risk of pneumonia, bronchitis, allergies, and other illnesses. As a result, their fitness – in fact, their readiness to serve — is compromised,” said Dr. Michael Fiore of the UW Center for Tobacco Research & Intervention
All Wisconsin military personnel can call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line, 1-800-784-8669, to find out how to get this free help, including an eight-week supply of nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum.

