Should 18 year olds in the military be allowed to drink alcohol?

Yes, if the law applies across the board to every citizen at the same age as already stated in previous responses.

However, there would need to be a huge shift in how we (Americans) socialize the youth to be able to handle the maturity of drinking as it can cause major problems that have lasting implications on one's life, the lives of others, abuse, domestic violence, etc.  This socialization process, which occurs in many other countries, actually gives younger people the ability to make decisions at a younger age and drinking alcohol becomes less of a phenomenon to them.  As for Americans, everything that is prohibited or has parameters becomes an adventure and exploration......we see the same attitude come out in the younger generations in their desire for instant gratification in acquiring the latest fads that they clearly don't need. 

Yep

YES, they should be allowed, especially if they are stationed over seas;that conflict difference in Okinawa, Japan caused me and my buddies to get in trouble when we try to enter base.

Military members should definitely be allowed to drink on the confines of the Military Base, regardless of age. They are old enough to fight and die, they are old enough to drink.   College Students on the other hand...... WAIT TILL YOUR 21, OR  See you Local Military Recruiting Office.

We Americans make way to much of these social 'moral' issues. If you're old enough to enlist and lay your life on the line, you're old enough to have a beer.

Other countries don't make these issues a social sin and don't have nearly the problems we do. If a person would abuse or do wrong after making a decision to overindulge, they should be held responsible for their actions. No coddling saying they were to immature, etc.

The problem is that it's no longer an "age" issue in America. While you may not want it to be a political issue, it most certainly is...in every way. It's all tied to federal money to states for roads and other funding coming from Washington. The drinking age is a state law, not a federal one. If you want the drinking age in your state to drop to 20 or lower, you work on your state legislature to change it. The hard part is convincing anyone wanting to be elected or re-elected to make the case for dropping the drinking age. MADD, SADD, and every other anti-drunk driving organization will line up against anyone supporting legislation to drop the drinking age at all...anywhere. It's political suicide and every politician knows it. Military leaders answer to political leaders, so I don't see the drinking age on any U.S. bases changing either.

The answer is yes -- but it doesn't matter because young troops will always find a way and the rules are loosely enforced at best. 

You gave me a wrench and a KC135 when I was 18 and said go fix it.... At the time there were 4 lives that counted on me doing my job.  If the military deemed me responsible enough to do that.... then I'm responsible to drink at 18.   Though at the age of 50 and looking back I'm amazed at the responsibility I was given back then and wonder about today's youth.  But if we are giving them the responsibility to work on weapon systems and aircraft then we need to give them the ability to be responsible out side of work and allow to drink.