Posted on Nov 28, 2013
Should 18 year olds in the military be allowed to drink alcohol?
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One of the most annoying things is busting college students for drinking. The problem is that you can at 21 at college but most graduate at 22-24, so part of the population can and part cannot.
But for the sake of argument, let's say that it is 21 and over, should military personnel be allowed to drink?
But for the sake of argument, let's say that it is 21 and over, should military personnel be allowed to drink?
Posted in these groups: 
Alcohol
Alcohol
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 186
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When I was enlisted in 1992 my base in San Diego allowed enlisted personnel below 21 to drink beer and wine coolers. they said it was done to keep us out of Tijuana. I thought it was a great idea. This way the base could have some control over the underage drinkers. Still ended up in TJ though.
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As a company commander, the majority of all misconduct I deal with is alcohol related. That being said, I absolutely believe in personal responsibility. As long as nco's and officers are personally invested in their soldiers lives, I say lower the drinking age on post to 18. I agree, if you are old enough to die for your country, you should be able to share an ale with your brothers and sisters.
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Anyone remember back in early 1983 the CoS message re: de-glamorization of alcohol message. No more doubles at O Clubs. I was in Korea where soda, beer and liquor were rationed. You were authorized 8 case of beer and 4 case of soda a month. I don't recall the amount of liquor authorized. I also remember showing up for Airborne School in 1978 and there was beer vending machines in the Day Room. I'm okay with allowing all members to drink responsibly while on military installations, but off-installation should abide by local laws.
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Ask yourself that question as a leader that have stood on the red carpet many times for Soldiers that have done some pretty childish things, endangered themselves and others. Have caused international incidents within other countries which cause higher ranking leaders to enforce mass punishments restricting every post to curfew hours because these young Soldiers feel they have the right to drink. You can tell any Soldiers till your blue in face not to drink and they still going do it, some of the answers given is admittance to that. Once we open up the flood gate of allowing young Soldiers just coming into the army to drink we will see an increase in the number of fatality death within our ranks. I rather be looking at that joker on the red carpet; then their parents at the front door explaining to them that their child has died because an alcohol related incident. But hey if you can live with it well I don't see myself sleeping at night. It always best to do the hard right over the easy wrong. If it is my decision to allow young Soldiers to drink, I would say no. Tell me when did alcohol save lives.
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CW3 (Join to see)
So using that logic, SFC Brown, why not restrict everyone? I'm a 46 year old CW2, and you will not find ANY alcohol related incidents in my past. There aren't any.
(Well, with the exception of the time as a PFC when I was disrespectful to a 2LT who was trying to assign me to a driver detail off duty on a Saturday night when I'd been drinking, and I knew I was too drunk to drive...and was not about to drive).
Why not restrict me? After all, who cares that I've proven I can drink responsibly? It makes it easier on the leader, after all.....
Why not restrict me? After all, who cares that I've proven I can drink responsibly? It makes it easier on the leader, after all.....
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If you are old enough to go to war, you should be old enough to drink a beer. Just my opinion..
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I will say this when I was AIT at Fort Bliss in '93 the first thing our 1SG told us was that if we are old enough to die for our country then we are old enough to drink. We had our own little club there where we could drink strictly for AIT students, even the Drill Sergeants weren't allowed in unless there was trouble. We never had any problems the entire time I was there. We all took care of each other, if we had more soldiers doing this I think we would be ok. However this is a new generation and some people just aren't that responsible so it could be a double edged sword.
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People who are 18 and older should be allowed to drink.
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When I was an 18 year old soldier my answer would have been YES! As a 31 year old adult, my answer is no.
I used to have the same argument of "if we are old enough to fight for our country...." but here is the difference in my opinion...As a soldier you are trained every day to perform the tasks that you may eventually have to use for real in combat. So when the time comes, even if you are 18, 19 or whatever, you have been properly and professionally trained to perform the tasks asked of you. As a soldier in combat, you are also almost ALWAYS being watched by someone senior to you. Drinking however, is not a task that you have been trained to handle and at 18, 19 years old, most people do not have the maturity level needed to be responsible with alcohol. Nor are you being supervised in any way by someone who could maybe steer you in the right direction. That being said, there are plenty of older people who aren't mature enough to handle alcohol either but that is not the argument at hand.
I personally drank before I was of age, as most everyone I know did. Looking back now, we did some silly things that could have gotten us into serious trouble or hurt. Not to mention the damage we could have caused someone else...I believe that there are age restrictions on certain things in life for a reason, not just because. Sure, there are always exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, I do not think that teenagers are responsible enough to drink alcohol.
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A1C Michael David Severson
I came from a family that had alcoholics and illicit drug abusers, that started from their 60's backward to my teenaged siblings. maturity has little to nothing to do with these issues.
Addiction and the propensity to abuse substances does. Social conditioning, biology, family dynamics, etc. also have a huge influence.
I am a bivocational pastor and medical professional, and I deal with problems of all sorts; but all forms of substance abuse, legal or otherwise, is a never-ending epidemic.
It remains a problematic issue in life, including institutionalized dispensing of mood-altering drugs that are being utilized with alarming frequency to "manage" health issues, and produce another set of issues that needs to be addressed.
The reality check is evident, that whether or not you are a preteen at home, a teenager in the military, or an older, respected contributor to society, these problems still persist.
It becomes even more problematic to sort through each person, and to determine a risk assessment as to how such behavior will affect them biologically, morally, etc.
When I was in training, we had no classes about alcohol usage in its many forms, nor the effects/warning signs that could point to addiction.
Nor do medical practitioners give you the full scoop on the effects of anti-depressants, mood-elevating drugs, etc. meanwhile, their use continues to grow exponentially, and affect peoples lives both positively and negatively.
This is a moral and ethical dilemma that has no easy answers, no standardized response, and will continue to haunt the ranks of both the military and civilian world.
God help us all...
Addiction and the propensity to abuse substances does. Social conditioning, biology, family dynamics, etc. also have a huge influence.
I am a bivocational pastor and medical professional, and I deal with problems of all sorts; but all forms of substance abuse, legal or otherwise, is a never-ending epidemic.
It remains a problematic issue in life, including institutionalized dispensing of mood-altering drugs that are being utilized with alarming frequency to "manage" health issues, and produce another set of issues that needs to be addressed.
The reality check is evident, that whether or not you are a preteen at home, a teenager in the military, or an older, respected contributor to society, these problems still persist.
It becomes even more problematic to sort through each person, and to determine a risk assessment as to how such behavior will affect them biologically, morally, etc.
When I was in training, we had no classes about alcohol usage in its many forms, nor the effects/warning signs that could point to addiction.
Nor do medical practitioners give you the full scoop on the effects of anti-depressants, mood-elevating drugs, etc. meanwhile, their use continues to grow exponentially, and affect peoples lives both positively and negatively.
This is a moral and ethical dilemma that has no easy answers, no standardized response, and will continue to haunt the ranks of both the military and civilian world.
God help us all...
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I served two tours in Vietnam starting at the age of 17. I became an 18 year old Sargent and led men in Combat. Alcohol was available, I chose not to drink and chose not to mess with the ladies of the night. My choice, only an E-5 or above could buy a bottle of Hard Liquor. I chose not to, Why! I had a responsibility to myself and my men. I did not deny them a beer as long as they were in base camp and not on duty. I had to depend on them and them on me. We never had a problem, and many died that would be to young to buy a beer today! Let them have a Beer, they may never get another choice!
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What a joke...you can't teach morals to people who have intentions on their own. Making it legal for those who are too impatient to wait the three years makes no sense at all. Anyone who said they didnt mature much from 18-21....you are the problem....
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