Who thinks the drinking age should be lowered for people in the army?

Question

I think it's extremley ignorant that the goverment can have or make a underage person go to war and handle tanks,machine guns AND KILL PEOPLE but they cant come home to the country they are defending for and have a d**n drink,how freaking ridiculous is that?!

Answer 1

Most people from the military do drink underage

Answer 2

No way!  If anything it should be raised, not lowered.

Answer 3

I don't think there should be a less restrictive set of laws for those in the military than for civilians.  (The military, like any organization is free to place additional requirements and restrictions.)

I think the drinking age should be lowered to 18 for everyone.  

Answer 4

i had my first accident on other vehicles involved 19 years old and sober

in Germany when i was there in the 6ties they would put car that have been in fatalities because of drink driving on  big trailer at the Main gates as reminders of drink driving they never had a shortage of cars my last holiday At RAF Laarbruch  2 mums and dads went out for the night 2 men in the front 2 mothers in the back driver 20 years old wrote off the car killing himself and his mates wife inside car was 4 bottles of spirits all open the wife in the back was unconscious not from the accident but because of the amount of brandy she had drunk.  

I was in the Military for 38 years and i was an explosive ordnance engineer

and worked on about 40 different Aircraft including atomic weapons and i was a young man in Germany duty free Alcohol Cigarettes cars and petrol and very really drunk or got drunk had better thing to do with my money and time and never used drugs for recreational purposes  

and i was forced to work with NCOs who had gone to the mess at lunch time had a few beers and sometimes to many beers their breath stank and they were always passing wind which was putrid and disgusting and would think it was funny

and i was always complaining about working with drunks whilst working with explosives

Young people under 25 cannot handle alcohol  and military weaponry this is a fact.

The US government is trying to save lives with the 21 and if it saver one life it works

I have in my 38 years seen the results of alcohol damage in the military i Hate funerals and what a waste when young men get kicked out for stuffing up with Drugs and Alcohol.

here in Australia a car driven by an 18 year old Dead his 18 year old girlfriend Dead his best mate 19 dead his 18 year old girlfriend dead

because they all went out to celebrate an 18 birthday the drivers and he was 3 times over the limit lost control of car into a power pole at 70 mph and no skid marks and here we are talking about a $10,000 car and not a million dollar tank

i think the drinking age should be 25

Answer 5

I don't subscribe to this whole "If I'm old enough to die my country..." argument. Drinking alcohol and training for war are two very different things.

Teenagers are mentally capable of undertaking military service by the time they're about 15 or so, but if they start drinking like adults that early they are more at risk from the complications of alcohol - inhibited balance and dementia, among others.

I also don't subscribe to the crazy "You need to be 21" alcohol laws you guys have in the States. C'mon, just let your 19 year olds have a few drinks. If you don't, they'll do it anyway, only unmoderated.

A flaw with Armouror's example of a car crash in Australia - at the age of 18, a driver is on his probationary license and hence is not allowed any alcohol on his breath - that's a BAC of 0.00. Were the legal drinking age 25 he'd still be as drunk (it's not difficult to get drinks underaged) anyway, and responsible drinkers like myself who sleep over after parties would be dicked off for no reason.

Answer 6

I agree i think that since they are risking their lives for us. We should buy them all a drink. They deserve it.

Answer 7

They are actually trying to pass that if you are in the military you can drink at 18. I agree if you are able to die for your country you should be able to at least drink. But I understand why it's not passed, too many would take advantage of it and get trashed.  

Answer 8

NO!! I am currently in Okinawa and they lowed the drinking age to 20 over here. It seems that the younger guys over here take advantage and are the ones who cause problems. We had a "lockdown" just this year. One of the reasons for this was because of drinking.

I do understand the whole if they can die for our country then we should be able to buy them a drink. However, these men and women who are under age signed up, willingly, to go to war for our country. No one forced them to go into the military. Can you imagine the idiots that would join just to drink at a younger age.

Our troops need to be doing better things then drinking. They are role models for our younger generation.  

Answer 9

I joined the army at 16, straight from school. At the time I thought it was really unfair that I couldn't drink, but as I'm a lot older now and looking back, I was too immature to drink with lads my own age. When I did manage to drink, I was an idiot, we all were.

However when I had a drink and there was sergants around, I would be a lot more grown up with it.

So yes, soilders should be allowed to drink under the age of 18, but only on camp so they can learn to drink responsably.

Just another point, you can only go to war when you are 17years and 6months, so there aren't any 16 year olds driving tanks and killing people.

Answer 10

im kinda too late it being i turn 21 during basic.. but i believe that at some bases there is underage drinking or so ive heard.

Answer 11

Who thinks the drinking age should be lowered for people in the army?

I don't.  I was in the age group that watched to go up EVERY year from 18 to 21 in the late 70s when I was in the Corps.

I would trust YOU with an M-16 and an M1A1 tank on the battlefield or loading bombs on jump-jets before I could trust YOU  to be handle the alcohol.  I know - I was there, I watched it, I had a problem with booze as a YOUNGSTER in that group. I can't in good conscience support underage drinking or lowering the liquor age for military or civilian sectors.

Sorry.

Answer 12

I strongly disagree.

Where to draw the line? At the age limit.

They are also not "under age" they are legal adults.

Answer 13

No, but honestly it really doesn't matter.  I am in the Army and before I was 21 I had a drinking problem.  Many people drink before the "legal" age limit, some get caught, some don't, so either way, it doesn't matter.  I have seen alot of Soldiers who where under age almost die from alcohol posioning, so maybe the age is established for a reason.