A debate

[kid bow]

So we watched a video in class about young soldiers and the drinking age. This video sparked an intense debate about whether young soldier 18-20 should be allowed to drink. I wanna know your opinion. I know a good majority are veterans here and some are in. My questions for you is do you think a young soldier who fights for his country should be able to buy and consume alcohol?

[sleek]

I think a young soldier who fought for his country  should buy his own drinks. He should have his drinks bought for him.

[JEB]

All should just abide by the law as written.  I was in the Marines in 67 to 69.  Some states allowed it at 18 and some didn't.  Just because I was in the service didn't give me the right.

[kid bow]

All should just abide by the law as written.  I was in the Marines in 67 to 69.  Some states allowed it at 18 and some didn't.  Just because I was in the service didn't give me the right.

Thats a good point

[Pat B]

I believe is you are old enough to serve your country you should be old enough to drink and buy alcohol. I believe that you should obey the laws where you are, though.
I also believe if you are old enough you should vote but look at how few do. Voting is what makes and changes laws.

[sleek]

Well in a hypothetical then I stand by my comment.  But in how things are, laws should be obeyed.  Even overseas where the drinking age is lower, you still cant without getting in trouble with your command.

Were we to be able to make a difference in this conversation,  id submit it be up to the commander based on how good a service member he is. If he isnt an idiot and is squared away,  then he could earn a permit to drink on his id card. Is he a ship wreck and not responsible?  Nope, denied. Fix yourself.

[kid bow]

You all bring up very interesting points i like it.

[Marc St Louis]

Alcohol dulls the mind

[Eric Krewson]

When I was 19 in 1967 and a soldier at Ft Knox, the company had keg parties, no one was carded. Same for the EM club on base, any solder could drink regardless of age. I am pretty sure any soldier in uniform could drink off base but time makes my memory a little hazy.

While stationed in Germany I never encountered any age restrictions on drinking.

At the time,  I was of the opinion that anyone in the service was old enough to drink, my opinion hasn't changed to the present.

I would imagine that most of the old vets on this site feel the same way. I gave up booze 27 years ago when I was 40, nothing against drinking, just decided it wasn't for me.

If laws are in place to prevent an underage soldier from drinking they must be obeyed though.   

[JoJoDapyro]

As a young man right out of highschool I always wondered why we had a hard time getting adults to buy my friends and me alcohol. Looking back I see how big of an issue this is. I was an idiot. I was nowhere old or mature enough to make those types of decisions. Would I buy alcohol for 18 year olds now? Not a chance. There is a good chance that you will grow up and look back and see that no matter what job you have, 18 is still pretty young for making life altering decisions. In Utah you have t be 19 to buy tobacco, yet can vote, and join the service at 18. Do I agree? No, is it a nanny law? Absolutely.  Should it be followed, yes. Just because one is old enough to serve their country does not mean they are old enough to drink. Some aren't mature enough to drink ever. Just the way it goes.

[Eric Krewson]

Are you a vet Jo Jo ?

[Wolf Watcher]

In the late 50s I spent a couple of years in the 82nd airborne jumping out of planes for $55 dollars a month.  They did not treat me as someone not capable of preforming my duties.  I got married at 19 while there and my wife came out to live with me off post.  We were dirt poor and a SGT's pay with a Class Q allotment was not much money.  I sent my wife home before I was discharged and just before I was released I took a bus to Charolet South Carolina to buy a car.  Was I ever surprised to find out I was not old enough to buy a car even when paying cash.  To this day it bothers me to think of doing a man's job for his country and not being old enough to by a beer or a car. Its my opinion that age alone does not qualify as a determing factor for being mature enough to drink.  I have never been a drinker and wonder now if I am any more capable of drinking now than I was when I was young.  Joe

[stickbender]

    I have always believed if you are deemed old enough, and mature enough to be given military grade weapons, and told to go fight where our government sends you, and possibly not come back, then you are old and mature enough to drink!  If you are responsible enough to hold military grade weapons, you should be responsible enough to hold a beer!  I have seen older men, act like idiots, and under age people act far more responsible.  I don't think 21 and older has anything to with being responsible, no matter what you are doing.  Drink and get stupid, pay the price!  But if you are old enough to fight and possibly die for your country, or whatever other reason, our government deems, you should go, then as far as I am concerned, you are old enough to drink! 

                                   Wayne

[Marks]

I think the debate should be about the legal drinking age. Asking whether servicemen should fall under a different set of laws than the rest of us is unacceptable to me. I understand that many servicemen put their lives on the line to fight for me and this country but that doesn't make them better than me. I don't want to sound ungrateful because that isn't it. I'm very grateful. I agree that veterans and servicemen should have drinks and meals paid for them when they come home. I love seeing businesses give discounts to veterans. That's great! Thank a servicemen! But they shouldn't be governed by a different standard. Police, fire, swat, rescue, linemen, miners, factory workers.....all put their lives on the line to make our lives better too. We hold these truths to be self evident that ALL MEN are created EQUAL....

That being said I'm with JoJo. There is a big difference in maturity in an 18 and a 21 yr old. I like the drinking age where it is. When I was 18 I probably would have had a different opinion. But then again I don't drink and never have so it really doesn't affect me either way.

[Slackbunny]

As far as age goes, I don't think the drinking age should be any higher than whatever the legal age of majority is in your country/state. If you are old enough to vote, you are old enough to buy a drink. If you are old enough for the government to hand you a firearm and tell to kill another person, then you are old enough to buy a drink. If you are old enough to pay taxes then you are old enough to drink.

I don't think the government has any place dictating the habits of adults as long as they are not infringing on the rights of others, and as long as they are not endangering others. If the government has determined that you are an adult at the age of 18, then I don't think they should have the right to dictate your behavior any more (again as long as you are not infringing on the rights of others or putting them in danger).   


All that being said, I don't condone breaking the law. I follow laws that I disagree with all the time. There are ways to challenge and even change the laws without breaking them.