Farting Is Verboten For Marines in Afghanistan

Posted Aug 25, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Aug 25, 2011 at 04:49 PM

Mongo would not want to be a Marine in Afghanistan.

Not because of the danger. Mongo, the flatulent cowpoke played by Alex Karras in the movie Blazing Saddles, was one tough mofo.

No, Mongo would not want to be a Marine in Afghanistan, because in Afghanistan, farting is verboten among Marines.

That’s according to The Marine Times, which broke the breaking-wind story earlier this week.

It’s a cultural issues, says TMT.

I know there are many things in the Afghan culture that don’t seem normal to Americans and it’s hard to spend seven months working in someone else’s back yard.  Still, the Marines I saw downrange are doing a pretty good job at trying to do the right thing around the Afghans.

But farting?  That’s practically a sport.  Ok, it’s not soccer, but a good contest could open the door for cross-cultural exchanges, jokes and other gallows humor.