drinking age and military service?

It didn't bother me! I didn't start drinking until I was like 25. I feel anyone willing to die for there country should be able to have a beer with out looking over there shoulders!



Ha! One clean 5 gal water jug.
Boil the following in 3 gal of well water
3lbs of barley
2lbs of sugar
2oz of Hops
1 cup Mallasses
Place mixture in the water jug.
cover with cap twisted lightly.

Let cool.
after cool, add 1/2 oz of yeast.
Recover with cap.
Let stand on counter top for the next 3 weeks.
2 days after bubbles stop, IT'S SHOW TIME!!!!!!!!!!!:D
 
If you're old enough to die for your country, you should old enough to drink in it. Besides, this should strictly be a 10th Amendment issue.
 
I may be wrong, but I have a feeling that many of the people here arguing to lower the drinking age are under 21 themselves.
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I think you are.

If you're old enough to die for your country, you should old enough to drink in it. Besides, this should strictly be a 10th Amendment issue.
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Amen
 
I will be joining the Marines in a year and it does seem a little unfair that I should be able to do that, and not drink legally. Of course, are that many places going to turn away an active duty military man or woman? I wouldn't.

In fact, the last alchohol that I had was bought for me and my underage friends by a cop. Yes, a cop who got drunk with us. That was a couple years ago.

The thing is, alchohol is out there. Every monday that I spend at school gives me another overheard conversation starting with "I got soo drunk" and it's usually a 16 year old.

18 is a good age I think. It evens out with a lot of other rights: Long-guns, voting, military service... Besides, the younger generation will binge a couple times and have their "fun" (I don't think vomiting is fun but...) with it and when they're 18 they'll do it on their birthday for grins and mellow out a little.

It's only a big deal because we make it one. I really don't think we'd need a drinking age if everyone was exposed to it from an early age by their parents.

It's like driving. After the first month of driving, the initial fun was gone and it was just a normal thing. I quit driving for fun because it wasn't anything special anymore and it costs money. Lower the drinking age to anything and it will have the same effect. The fact that it's illegal keeps it fun and exciting and is the reason that almost NOBODY under 21 just has one or two;).
 
I will be joining the Marines in a year and it does seem a little unfair that I should be able to do that, and not drink legally. Of course, are that many places going to turn away an active duty military man or woman? I wouldn't.
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Yes, they will. Especially anywhere near post. You're just another servicemember there, they see plenty of them every day, and they're not going to put their neck out to sell you booze.

I also found that in most bigger cities, enforcement was strict enough that they'll generally not knowingly sell to you underage. You'll get the occasional clerk who doesn't realize the age is on the back (anywhere near a post they already know this), glazes over, and just does it anyway to get you out of the line because they don't care...but not often.

However, depending where you're from you'll probably have little trouble buying when home on leave. In most smaller cities and small towns that aren't near a military installation, a military ID will get you into bars and through the checkout line; like I said, they rarely bother to turn mine over up here (Montana). Well, at least they didn't back when I used to get carded...which has become more and more rare. Guess I'm starting to look old, or something. :D

Oh, another exception: college towns will sometimes have stricter enforcement (obvious reasons). It's kind of a crap-shoot there.

But I used my military ID to buy beer in stores and in bars from Podunk, PA to Nowhere, KS to WherethehellamInow, AZ to Tinytownnobodysheardof, MT before I was over 21. It works surprisingly often.

Congrats on the decision, by the way. Sorry to hear you're going Marines, but I'll not hold it against you. ;)
 
I drank under age with parental consent and I never got into any trouble or developed any drinking problems. The law does nothing to stop alchohol abuse and just gives our police officers more responsabilities. It should be up to the parents to decide if their kids should drink under 18. IT's NOT the government role. I do think because of the nature of the substance that there may be some wisdom in a drinking age. I.E. young kids can't just go buy it themselves. Maybe 18 would be a good age. the fact that a man and yes I said "man" can own a wepon and can go off to war but can't have a drink is ludacris.
 
It should be up to the parents to decide if their kids should drink under 18.
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I'll point out that in many state (maybe even a majority) this is actually (to an extent) the case. The law generally strictly forbids purchase by the underage, as well as public consumption...but in some states you can still drink on private property if your parents provide the booze.

In fact, I think in some states you can even drink at restaurants and what not if your parents buy it.
 
Yes you are correct. I wasn't actually breaking the law in many cases. I really don't thank my parents enough for how they raised me. They didn't just abdicate their God given responcibilities to the state. They made sure that the reason I don't go out and get tanked at the local highschool party was because it's stupid, not because the government says it's wrong for those under 21 to embibe. I find that those who have been tought by their parents how why and when to drink aren't quite as stupid when they do get out on their own.
 
While I don't drink I believe that anyone in the military regardless of age has earned the right to drink at 18. For that matter they have earned the rights anyone over 21 can enjoy. If they can risk their lives for this country they earned the right to drink or anything else.
 
In my opinion if you are old enough to vote, fight and die for your country at 18 you are sure are hell old enough to drink alcohol!!


Smiling Bob :D
USAF Retired 1976-1996
 
judgement

Long ago when I was 18 lowering the drinking age was one of the first things I was able to vote on. Well folks suddenly there were lots of 18 year old buying stuff for 14 year olds. After much jaw jacking the light finally came on and it seems most 18 year olds judgment is not alway the best then add alcohol on top of that really lead to some bad situations. The drinking age was moved back to 21. That was then..lets fast forward to now. The laws are very different, penalties for drunk driving are more less forgiving. My son is currently serving in the Air Force (proud dad here) and they are hell on under age drinking in public, drunk driving as he was told..more Airmen are killed from drunk driving than in combat right now. Hey..how much money and time are put in someone so it can be wasted in a car accident ?
Also...most airmen are pretty boke, another way to suck out bucks..drunk on weekends. I guess the question to me is why is it so important to make sure out service people can get blasted? Yes...most 18 year olds drink to get drunk, not social drinking.
 
Just like Prohibition itself, the drinking age causes the very problems it attempts to prevent. It is totally indefensible to me based on that alone. It is absolutely nothing more than a feeble gesture.
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That about sums it up. Every day I see people at work who have one or another substance abuse problem. Ask them how old they were when they started drinking steadily and they'll answer "15 or 16". Ask them how old they were when they started smoking pot on a daily basis "14". Ask them how old they were when they started doing cocaine. "18". This is not new. Working at the VA in the past I recall talking to Viet Nam helicopter pilots who said they flew stoned the entire war. Anyone who says that drinking age laws do anything real in society is an idiot.:(
 
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