Alaska to Consider Lowering Drinking Age for U.S. Troops

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates doesn't support lowering the drinking age for U.S. troops, but that hasn't deterred one Alaska lawmaker from renewing the debate over whether military members old enough to fight and die for their country are responsible enough to drink and smoke.

The argument dates back decades to the Vietnam War, and now Alaska state Republican Rep. Bob Lynn is proposing a bill that would allow military members in his state under 21 to legally drink and smoke there. Alaska residents can't legally drinking until they're 21 and legally smoke until they're 19.

Lynn has been careful to note that neither he nor his bill promotes drinking or smoking as a habit. But, he says, the bill would "enable all active duty warriors in our U.S. Armed Forces to be treated as adults, regardless of age."

"It's outrageous that a member of our military can be subjected to the horrors of war but can't legally have a beer or smoke a cigarette," Lynn wrote in his blog Monday. "Any soldier who braves military combat and risks their life for our country should be treated like an adult -- in every sense of the word."
________

Marines would love this.

[Valin]

WestVirginiaRebel

 

When I was in we never drank. We would return to the barracks and think about Mom, apple pie, the girl we left behind and how can we do more to help our Sgt.

 

 

 

that's my story and I'm stickin with it!

[AceRimmer]

WestVirginiaRebel

 

When I was in we never drank. We would return to the barracks and think about Mom, apple pie, the girl we left behind and how can we do more to help our Sgt.

 

 

 

that's my story and I'm stickin with it!

 

 

I was 21 when my Guard unit was activated for Desert Storm, and while we sat in our barracks at Fort Polk waiting to be demobilized after it was over, every night was party night.

 

We'd go to the nearest PX and load up the back of a Humvee with cases of beer, and it didn't matter how old or young the guys were, because we turned the barracks into our own frat house. The only people not invited were the officers.