Bill Would Lower GI Drinking Age to 18

[LCpl Lamm]

Bill Would Lower GI Drinking Age to 18

Stars and Stripes | Leo Shane III | November 29, 2005
WASHINGTON — A New Hampshire lawmaker wants to lower the drinking age for active-duty military members to 18, making New Hampshire the second state to consider such Legislation this year.

State Rep. James Splaine, D-Portsmouth, said his new bill would show servicemembers the respect they deserve for their work in the military.

“It seems hypocritical that we expect people to be able to make life or death decisions in Iraq, but in New Hampshire they don’t have the right or privilege to be able to drink,” he said.

This summer, Wisconsin state Rep. Mark Pettis, R-Hertel, introduced a bill to drop the $500 fine for underage drinking to just $10 for servicemembers. Half of that fine would go into a veterans support fund, and would effectively allow young troops to drink at any bar in the state.

Earlier this month, a Wisconsin House committee approved the bill 7-2. Officials from Pettis’ office said the next step is a vote before the full House, but no timetable has been set for that.

Pettis had crafted the $10 fine as a way to skirt federal drinking age minimums but still protect the state’s more than $50 million in federal highway funds, which could have been revoked if the federal age minimum of 21 was repealed even in part.

Splaine said he will seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the New Hampshire bill to preserve the state’s federal funding and allow the drinking exception.

“It’s not as much of an issue here because New Hampshire has already given up many of those (federal highway) funds,” he said. “We have no motorcycle helmet requirement, and no seatbelt law requirement, so they’ve taken away some funding for that.”

Splaine, who did not serve in the military, was the primary sponsor of the bill which raised New Hampshire’s drinking age to 21 in the early 1980s. He hopes that legislative history will give his new proposal more credibility among critics.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has already lobbied against both the Wisconsin and New Hampshire measures. Splaine said he expects a hearing on his bill in late January.

Defense Department rules require that all U.S. military facilities follow the 21 drinking age, but overseas bases can drop their drinking age as low as 18 based on their host country’s laws. Base commanders also can set the limit at 21, regardless of the foreign laws, at their discretion.

General Order Number 1, in effect in Iraq and Afghanistan, prohibits the “introduction, possession, sale, transfer, manufacture or consumption of any alcoholic beverage” while in the combat zone.




What are your opinions on this. I know why the bill has been proposed...I think we all do.

[Grimmy]

If they're old enough and mature enough to go to war then their old enough to do everything else.

Either lower the drinkin age for Soldiers or raise the minimum enlistement age to 21.

Soldiers should still be held to a higher standard of behavior tho and none of the "but I'm so young, I didnt understand" kind of crap excuses when they're standing before their CO.

[SR-25]

Originally Posted by Grimmy

If they're old enough and mature enough to go to war then their old enough to do everything else.

Either lower the drinkin age for Soldiers or raise the minimum enlistement age to 21.

Soldiers should still be held to a higher standard of behavior tho and none of the "but I'm so young, I didnt understand" kind of crap excuses when they're standing before their CO.

I agree 100%

[Batgirl]

If they're old enough and mature enough to go to war then their old enough to do everything else.

Grimmy said it for me too. In the UK you can join the military at age 16 but can't vote or drink until you turn 18.

[armyinfmom63]

When my son was home on leave, he went out one night with his dad, and he is only one year away from 21, but every bar they went into, when they found out he was Military, they served him anyway and a lot of times for free. Good thing he is not a big drinker although that night he was, lol. I think he suffered his worst hangover the next day !!

I also agree tho. If they are old enough to fight for our country, they are old enough to drink if they don't abuse it.

[Rusty24]

I have always agreed with this until recently. My biggest problem with it is maturity. There have been a small rash of underage drinking busts in the dorms. And the one thing that was always prevelant was "New" troops drinking and doing stupid shit. armyinfmom63, thats awesome that your son went out, had a good time, and conducted hisself accordingly. When my son gets a little older and wants a beer .... him and his old man will do so.

However in the past 2 months, I have (on my wifes behalf) gone to the dorms when these troops were busted. The cops were not sitting outside waiting to bust them. They were breaking furniture, being loud when asked to quiet it down, and even assault. They use the alcohol as an excuse ..... "I was drunk and dont know what I was doing"

After seeing some of the crap they are pulling I still think they should be able to have a beer, but, how many kids will enlist so that they can drink. Is it fair to the general public taht they can drink at 18 and civilians can not.

[Grimmy]

They get to shoot at people and civilians dont, geneerally speaking.

Part of the maturity issue is practice. The longer the issue of responsibility for ones actions is delayed, the longer it will take for one to leave the juvenile phase and move into aduilthood.

Domesticated anilmals are those that have had the need to move from juvenile delayed so long it becomes permanent. That's why they keep juvenile markings and behaviours throughout their entire life times.

I am beginning to suspect that the same thing can happen in humans. The entire concept of a protected childhood based mainly around play time and liesure is not much more than 100 years old.
Some say it's causing each succeeding generation to lose more of it's members to a permenant juvenile state.

[armyinfmom63]

My son did tell me that drinking was a lot of his fellow soldiers problems, mostly when they have time off. He has even got stuck with roomies before so he can kinda be their babysitter because of it.

But he has chosen because of past family experiences not to drink much. So I am proud of him for that. I just hope he is thinking the same thing when he returns.....

[Bronco1986]

i think it should stay at 21. kids do stupid shit. just like rusty said. its different in every case, for example i can be completely stupid drunk and still tell between right and wrong. i may be loud and not be able to see straight but i can sure as hell tell that throwing a chair threw a window is not a good idea. but i do know people my age who think breaking shit is "funny."

its hard to tell; 18 or 21. i feel on average 21 is the best and safest bet. alcohol is not going anywhere. underage people should be able to wait a year a two to go to a bar. as far as lowering the drinking age for soldiers to 21.....i dont think it really matters. lets face it, its not like they cant drink i'm sure many probably do. its not hard. lowering it to 18 would just take away the formality of it.

[333MP]

What I don't understand is why is 21 "the age" At 18 or 21 a person is still immature. Most adults mature fully around 23. I think that if I can put my life on the line for other people then I should be able to go have a drink. When I was in Italy, the driking age was 18, so we all got to go drink. And yeah we all got drunk, most more than once. But I didn't see any difference in actions between those who were 18 year old privates and 30 something sgt.

[Rusty24]

When I was in Korea, alot of the "young'ins" would get tanked and think they had a "lets be stupid" excuse. Not saying that older individuals do this, but 2 nights a week I did DJ duties at the club and everynight I had a handfull of individuals that had their fair take of liquid courage and when approached about it the next day ..... "They forgot". And some thought it was funny.

Its a toss up. Some can handle it, most can't.