# Onanism in the military. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292 "2014-02-01T18:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/1 "2014-02-01T18:53:49Z")
Heh heh. I saw a video of a group of solders performing a ceremony ending a “pass the porn” tradition. [Log in | RTM - RightThisMinute](http://www.rightthisminute.com/video/daily-huh-fond-farewell-ladies-who-got-them-through-deployment) Well, that got me to thinking. I’m a vet ('64 to '68) and I don’t recall any prohibition against masturbation. There must be, because that’s the just the way the way the military is. Is there any mention in the UCMJ regarding the “spilling of one’s seed”? Anyway, it is a pretty funny video. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/2 "2014-02-01T19:10:54Z")
I understand the only more degrading duty in the military than KP is sock laundering duty. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/3 "2014-02-01T19:16:43Z")
Wouldn’t that fall under “not discharging your weapon in the barracks”? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/4 "2014-02-01T19:32:53Z")
How many message boards are there in existence in which a person can use the word ‘onanism’ in a thread title and people immediately know what it means? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/5 "2014-02-01T19:34:19Z")
I served on a submarine. There is lots of masturbation that goes on on a submarine. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/6 "2014-02-01T19:37:03Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I served on a submarine. There is lots of masturbation that goes on on a submarine. [This writer agrees with you](http://www.cracked.com/article_20871_6-things-movies-dont-show-you-about-life-submarine.html) (see item #1 on the list). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/7 "2014-02-01T19:50:23Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I served on a submarine. There is lots of masturbation that goes on on a submarine. Which explains why it 's full of seamen. (Old joke, not mine) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/8 "2014-02-01T19:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > ``` > How many message boards are there in existence in which a person can use the word ‘onanism’ in a thread title and people immediately know what it means? > > ``` Oh… I thought this was a thread about generator maintenance. Anyone have one of the rare long-stroke models? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/9 "2014-02-01T20:13:16Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > How many message boards are there in existence in which a person can use the word ‘onanism’ in a thread title and people immediately know what it means? Not only are the people who read this board WAY SMART on many topics, but they know ALL terms related in any way to sex. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/10 "2014-02-01T20:15:37Z")
The only privacy we had, except for the CO and XO (who had their own staterooms), were in the shower or in the bunk… and the bunkroom would be shared with several other sailors. Each bunk had a privacy curtain, and it was part of the submarine culture that the privacy curtain was essentially an unbreakable forcefield that could only be broken by the sailor inside. During wakeups (when someone from the previous watch section goes around to wake up the sailors for the oncoming watch section), the messenger might risk pulling back the curtain an inch or two to whisper “wake up!”, but only from the head-side. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/11 "2014-02-02T00:15:31Z")
I guess they wouldn’t want you doing it on duty, like perimeter watch or something like that. And they’d probably get very upset (to a court martial level) if several GIs were helping each other out to a much more personal level than just passing a magazine along (this is before our current post-DADT times). But if someone’s off duty and is discreet about it, what’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/12 "2014-02-02T00:31:09Z")
You might not want to have asparagus for dinner before that nights solo date No wait, that’s piss huh? I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/13 "2014-02-02T01:24:54Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > How many message boards are there in existence in which a person can use the word ‘onanism’ in a thread title and people immediately know what it means? However, when the original Onan engaged in the original onanism, it was withdrawal, not masturbation. Or so I’ve been told, not having been there during Old Testament times. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/14 "2014-02-02T01:45:31Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The only privacy we had, except for the CO and XO (who had their own staterooms), were in the shower or in the bunk… and the bunkroom would be shared with several other sailors. Each bunk had a privacy curtain, and it was part of the submarine culture that the privacy curtain was essentially an unbreakable forcefield that could only be broken by the sailor inside. During wakeups (when someone from the previous watch section goes around to wake up the sailors for the oncoming watch section), the messenger might risk pulling back the curtain an inch or two to whisper “wake up!”, but only from the head-side. Now I kind of wonder how morale might be improved, on future classes of submarines, by including a small, purpose-built Onanism Vault—y’know, kinda like the euthanasia chamber in _Soylent Green_… ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/15 "2014-02-02T02:09:14Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Anyone have one of the rare long-stroke models? Well, I don’t want to brag… ---
**Author:** ![Jacques\_Chitte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@Jacques\_Chitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jacques_Chitte)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/16 "2014-02-02T02:12:32Z")
Only Ulf the Unwashed has addressed the original biblical meaning of Onanism – it had NOTHING to do with masturbation – as Ulf gives – it was withdrawal/coitus interruptus during INTERCOURSE… in Korean gutter-talk – “Onanism - Jackin off - No same-same” ---
**Author:** ![Jacques\_Chitte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@Jacques\_Chitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jacques_Chitte)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/17 "2014-02-02T02:38:13Z")
If my memory serves me well, ONAN PULLED OUT at the last moment to avoid conception in a situation where the whole sexual act in the first place was to “raise up seed to a deceased relative’s wife” so to INSEMINATE was the reason he got to ‘sow the oats’ but he pulled out and avoided a chance at conception for the widow of his dead relative at least that’s how i remember it – i aint gon look it up ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/18 "2014-02-02T02:51:42Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Jacques\_Chitte](#): > > in Korean gutter-talk – > > “Onanism - Jackin off - No same-same” Racially insulting phrases like this have no place in GQ, even in a joking manner. No warning issued, but do not do this again. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/19 "2014-02-02T03:50:39Z")
> [@Jacques\_Chitte](#): > > If my memory serves me well, > > ONAN PULLED OUT at the last moment > > to avoid conception > > in a situation where the whole sexual act in the first place was to “raise up seed to a deceased relative’s wife” > > so to INSEMINATE was the reason he got to ‘sow the oats’ > > but he pulled out and avoided a chance at conception for the widow of his dead relative > > at least that’s how i remember it – i aint gon look it up According to me, Onan was a little quick on the withdraw and had to finish himself. Same-o same-o, sin-wise I guess ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292/20 "2014-02-02T04:40:19Z")
The sin was disobeying God, Who had ordered the adulterous coupling. The “Thou shalt not commit adultery” Executive order was later. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onanism-in-the-military/680292.md?page=2)