Hi Rob,
First, I wanted to say I enjoy reading your website.I'd like to ask the input of some of our European members on this, but it seems to me that, thinking back over the wars of the twentieth century, a European soldier was somewhat more likely than an American one to have a bottle of wine as part of his provisions. It is, after all, a Swiss army knife, despite how many people use them now. Bottles of wine have never in history been a large part of the American G.I.'s common meal and I can easily imagine that a corkscrew might seem more of a necessity to a Swiss soldier than his American counterpart.
So, perhaps it's a matter of historical need turning into tradition? Any comments, anyone?
Stay safe,
J.T.