Should Active Military Be Allowed To Drink Under 21?
A lawmaker would like to make it legal for military service members between the ages of 18 and 21 to drink alcohol
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A bill expected to be heard at the State House this past week would make it legal for military service members between the ages of 18 and 21 to drink alcohol in Rhode Island. The legislation (H 5603), introduced by Rep. Thomas Winfield (D-Glocester, Smithfield) would apply to active military members with a valid military identification.
Last June, Middetown police issued several underage drinking summons after they responded to a farewell party for a soldier who was deployed to Afghanistan. A 21-year-old and a 22-year-old, were cited under the social host ordinance.
Writing from Afghanistan on Tuesday, the solider provided the following statement on Patch, “If I'm getting shipped off to Afghanistan to fulfill my duty as a soldier, willing to lay my life for my friends and other soldiers around me (someone else's daughter, son, dad, cousin) then I think I deserve a drink.”
What do you think? Should active members of the military be able to legally drink in Rhode Island?
claire osman
1:41 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
I think if we are asking our military to go to overseas to fight and possibly be mamed or even worse, they should be treated like adults. We are giving them the responsibilty of adults so they should be allowed to drink. We cannot have it both ways, threat them like adults on one hand and children on the other hand. If we do not give them all of the rights 21 year olds have, then don't allow them into the military until the are 21.
Michael L. Soares
7:15 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
Absolutely all armed forces members should be entitled to drink alcohol responsibly. In fact the drinking age should be 18 years old or eliminated. I find it odd that Americans think they live in a free country when it is illegal to have a glass of wine or beer in public park while having a picnic or bread and cheese. Free country??
Michael L. Soares
Anne-Marie
6:31 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
Yes yes yes. If a man or woman signs to defend the freedoms in which we take for granted, I feel the ability to have a drink is the least we as citizens can allow them to have.
Lee
4:45 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Only on base where they are under control of the military, thats how it was when I was stationed at Beale AFB in California where the drinking age was 21 and the in the military was 18. We could go to the club, beer bar and buy at the class 6 store but it was not allowed off base. I remember at 18 going to the Point-and-A-half, in high school, when I was 18 and it was not pretty, can't forget the parties at Melville Public where the 18s would buy for the rest. We are really lucky that more of our friends at that time didnot meet tragic endings
Dan Force
8:41 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I'm not saying I'm against it. Lord knows I did my share of it on active duty. But it doesn't really matter what any state lawmakers want...in RI or any other state for that matter. In recent years liberty for active duty personnel has gotten more and more restrictive military-wide...mostly because of a few people getting in trouble or causing incidents after consuming alcohol. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there are proposals by military commanders that even make it against regulations for people to consume alcohol in their own home at overseas duty stations. In some places if you go out to a bar you are required to have at least one other non-drinking member of your command with you. So regardless of what state laws say, military commanders are unlikely to allow anyone under 21 years old to consume alcohol on or off base.
Dan