sleet...
After considerable research, I found your answer.
This is from a speech, given by Richard Nixon to
the Congress of the United States on June 17, 1971:
"In order to expedite the rehabilitation process of
Vietnam veterans, I have ordered the immediate
establishment of testing procedures and initial
rehabilitation efforts to be taken in Vietnam.
This procedure is under way and testing will
commence in a matter of days. The Department of
Defense will provide rehabilitation programs to all
servicemen being returned for discharge who want
this help, and we will be requesting legislation
to permit the military services to retain for
treatment any individual due for discharge who
is a narcotic addict. All of our servicemen must
be accorded the right to rehabilitation."
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/docs/pppus/nixon/1971/203.htm
From:
"Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard Nixon, 1971"
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/docs/pppus/nixon/1971/
I located the above resource via a search on Google:
"Richard Nixon" "Secretary of Defense" 1971 drug
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22Richard+Nixon%22+%22Secretary+of+Defense%22+1971+drug
I used this search strategy due to this remark at
DCmilitary.com:
"In 1970, increasing numbers of service members in
Vietnam were found to be using heroin and other
illegal drugs.This prompted President Richard Nixon
in 1971 to direct the secretary of defense to
initiate a program of drug prevention,
identification of abusers and treatment."
"Throughout "the post-Vietnam era" of the 1970s and
early 1980s, many young Americans -- military and
civilian -- experimented with illegal drugs like
marijuana, LSD and cocaine. DOD had been conducting
drug tests on service members since 1971, in large
part to identify and treat heroin addicts who'd
picked up the habit in Southeast Asia, Salazar said."
http://www.dcmilitary.com/airforce/beam/5_44/national_news/2900-1.html
Another remark, at the Bandolier website, also
pointed me toward the 1970s:
"Drug screening in the USA began in the 1970s as an
attempt to curb the spread of drug abuse in the US
military forces in Vietnam. The Navy started
screening after an accident on the carrier Nimitz
revealed that a number of sailors and airmen were
taking mind-altering drugs."
http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band5/b5-3.html
The above articles were found via a Google search for:
"U.S. Navy" "drug testing" vietnam
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22U.S.+Navy%22+%22drug+testing%22+vietnam
followed by a search for:
"U.S. Navy" "drug testing" vietnam Nimitz
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=%22U.S.+Navy%22+%22drug+testing%22+vietnam+Nimitz
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