Military Drinking Age

Alcohol Age Restrictions for Military
SOC 120
8 April 2013
Professor Cross

Alcohol Age Restrictions for Military

This is a topic that hits home with me. My father was military and my husband is currently active duty. So, I see and deal with this on a regular basis. To where I see everyone’s point of views on the topic, I hope one day that people put their selves in our service members’ shoes. Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military-which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death-and be prosecuted as adults. Adults from the age of 18 should therefore also be trusted to make decisions about alcohol consumption. The definition of an adult is: A person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law. In the USA, that age is 18, and with every American's 18th birthday comes all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of becoming an adult. It includes everything -— the good, the bad and the ugly. Everything that is, except for one small thing: Alcohol consumption. Some legal rights and responsibilities of an 18 year old in America within all 50 states, 18-year-olds can apply for a credit card, legally marry without parental consent, divorce, rent, purchase, sign a binding contract, vote, serve on a jury and serve in the military. If charged with a crime, the 18-year-old is no longer tried in juvenile court; he's tried as an adult. In essence, an 18, 19 and 20-year-old can do everything a 21-year-old can do, except drink alcohol. I feel strongly about that if you are old enough to go fight for our country, then by all means, you are old enough to drink. The legal age to join the military is 18 years old. Clearly someone along the way thought that was mature enough to go fight for our country. Yet, not old enough to have a beer afterwards. I am a firm believer that the legal age for drinking should be 21 years old. However, if you flash the active duty military card, you should be able to drink legally. Reason being, most 18-20 year olds are not mature enough, however they go through something that most do not. Basic training. Basic training strips you down from what you have known your entire life, teaches you respect, not just for yourself but for others. You come out a different person and a different outlook on life. Obviously the military and the United States trusts their lives in these 18-20 year olds hands, but not a beer. It is hypocritical. Some also argue that the drinking age should be kept at 21 because the brain doesn't finish maturing until around age 25, but in that case we should also raise the voting age and the military age. I feel we have to be consistent. If the brain has not fully finished maturing until the age of 25, then why are we putting our lives in 18-24 year olds hands? So, basically what they are saying is that we have immature people voting for president which effects our daily lives and future, and we have immature people defending our country. There needs to be consistency. A possible solution could be going back to how it was many years ago where military personnel could drink legally as long as they were on a military base. Therefore the military would be responsible for them. That was put to a halt in the 80’s when Congress stated that all military had to adopt the same drinking age as all 50 states. Technically, when you sign up for the military, you sign a contract. You sign your life away. The military owns you. In my opinion if the military base states 18-20 can consume alcohol while on base, then let them. We can argue the fact that age and maturity have everything to do with it. I feel that it does not. I see on a daily basis, immature and irresponsible 40 year old men and women. Age has nothing to do with it. In my opinion it has everything to do with respect, responsibility, maturity, and how you were raised. Unfortunately we cannot judge people on their individuality and have to set one law for everyone, but it needs to be consistent. You are considered to be an adult at the age of 18 currently. Yet, you cannot drink. Either lower the drinking age or raise the legal adult age. In other countries, the minimum drinking age for U.S. troops is 18 unless an international treaty, agreement or a local situation determined by a commander sets it higher, according to a Pentagon directive issued in 2009. They can be subjected to the horrors of war but can't legally have a beer in their own country who they fight for, but they can overseas. Surprisingly, The Feds haven't always had a say in setting the drinking age. During and after the Vietnam War, 29 states lowered their drinking ages below 21 in the face of baby boomers protesting that they should be allowed to drink if they can be forced to risk their lives abroad. However once drunk driving came into play, the federal government stepped in. If you look at this from a psychology standpoint, when people are told not to do something, most will do the exact opposite. How true for an 18 year old who is told they are now an adult in every sense of the word except for drinking alcohol. When a young adult feels unjustly targeted, most will not comply with the rules. In other words, they will drink anyways. What amazes me is that years ago, the legal age to drink was 18. Things were fine. Which proves to me that age has nothing to do with it. I am still a firm believer that respect, maturity, and responsibility are the key factors here and the majority of military personnel have those.

References

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/InTheNews/UnderageDrinking/1106156025.html http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/05/marine_alcohol_070511/ http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/a/drinkingage.htm http://www.cognac.com/15-reasons-why-drinking-age-should-be-18/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962048/posts