join the military and you can drink?

Question

I heard that if you join the army or marines you can drink before you are 21? Anyone know for sure that this is true? Because this may be one of the main reasons why I'd join the military....

It'd only be right to let men who are under 21 drink if they can die for you old punks that increased the drinking law.

Answer 1

Whether you are a member of the armed forces or not, you must abide by local laws. Therefore, stateside....sorry no drinking until you are 21.

But if you choose an overseas assignment for your first tour (i.e. Korea, Germany, Italy, Japan)...then you follow their local laws. Which pretty much translates to drink no matter what your age.

But, if the availability of consuming alcohol is a major factor in joining the military, then do us a favor.......stay home with mom and dad. We, as leaders in the Armed Forces dont need you, you will only end up being a discipline problem; and we already have enough of those.

Answer 2

Well first, I wouldn't recommend joining the Military just to drink. That could seriously blow up in your face!
If you are stationed in a country where the drinking law is under 21, (Some are 18 or 19) then yes, you can drink there. Or even if you're just in that country for a short time, you're allowed to drink. Back home in the States, no. The drinking age is still 21. There was a time that the Military would allow their members to drink on base if they were under 21, but they stopped that.
There has been talk that the Military is going to possibly stop their under 21 member's from drinking in other Countries that allow them to drink, because we have had so many killed overseas from drinking and driving. Most fatal privately owned vehicle accidents involving Military, the driver was between the ages of 18 and 24.

Answer 3

Not necessarily. I live on post and Ft. Bliss doesn't allow anyone under 21 drink. So what you're trying to say, is that you've never drinkin before because you're "under age"? This is the reason to join the military? You're gonna get a big kick in the @ss by reality! I wish I could be there to see it. "Ladies and Gentleman! Joining the military to drink alcohol legally a couple of years early instead of patriotism! Stupidity at it's best!" The military is lucky to have such a mature and responsible person like you. Go a head. Join the army. What are you gonna do when you find out you can't drink until you're 21? Can't leave, you signed a contract. And to only let men drink under 21? There are women with bigger b@lls than you and do more for their country, and it's only right for men to drink before 21. The raised drinking law is a safety thing, you dope.

Answer 4

What you are saying used to be the case, when the drinking age in some states was 18 years of age. But now, the legal drinking age in the United States is 21: on base and off base. That is the long and short of it.

But like others have said, once you are deployed overseas (Germany or South Korea for instance) you can drink legally over there...off base.....on the economy as they used to say.

One thing to bear in mind: today's military has a low tolerance for alcohol abuse. The John Wayne era is dead and gone.

If that is the main reason you would have for joining the military, then you are better off not joining. Your potential future comrades-in-arms will thank you for staying home.

Answer 5

o.k. this is how it is. The answer is yes and no. First lets start with No. If you are on a military base in the U.S. then you will not be able to drink until you are 21 because that is the law. And yes, if you are overseas i.e. Spain, Germany, etc. and you step off military base and go to a bar or a club in a different country then you will be able to drink because their drinking age I believe starts at 16 or 18. But you will have to be careful because if you are drunk and enter the military base you can get arrested for underage drinking.

Answer 6

I can respond for the US Military: this was true once upon a time, but died out about 1986. Following in the pressure of MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) on the Federal government to change the drinking age to a nationwide 21 years of age, all 50 states complied.

On some bases, a service member under 21 could get BEER, but no wine or liquor. However, the military bowed to political pressure and stopped this practice.

As someone else stated, getting drunk and arrested will KILL your military career.
I agree that it's a bummer to vote, serve, and yet be unable to have a beer... it's the law

Answer 7

The quick answer to your question is "No."

Members of the U.S. military are generally obligated to follow the law of the land in which they find themselves. For example, if you are stationed in San Diego and want to drink alcohol, you will need to be 21 years of age to buy, possess and consume alcoholic beverages. But if you go into Mexico-- say into Tijuana-- you may drink alcohol according to Mexican law (this doesn't mean, of course, you are shielded from prosecution in the U.S. for public intoxication or for bringing alcohol back into the U.S.).

That's the legal end of it.

However, you may find the reality of things is a little different. Some establishments will bend the rules a bit for servicemembers-- using the rationale that if you're old enough to risk your life in service to your country then you're old enough to drink alcohol when you aren't out in the field. But it doesn't change the legality of the act-- and the military could still prosecute you under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) for misconduct related to your alcohol consumption (or even _for it_ if you're on a base-- though usually the bartenders on a base don't serve underage people just because they're a servicemember).

Also, an aside: Military commanders can be pretty harsh when servicemembers drink-to-excess or participate in misconduct related to underage drinking. Don't join the military to be able to abuse alcohol. The two don't really fit together very well and you'll probably be disappointed.

If it's underage drinking you're looking for... go to college.

This is not legal advice. You should consult a licensed attorney-at-law for legal advice and representation before making decisions that may affect your legal rights.

Answer 8

Ok I am just over 21 and think your question was immature. No you cannot drink legally if you join the military before 21 and if that was the only reason you would then your parents or sinlge Mom sucked at raising you. They should be sent to boot camp to learn how to instill values in their so called offspring.

Grow up and don't Troll on serious issues. DumbA##

Answer 9

First off let me say this...

If you only want to join the Military so you can drink while under 21 then you need to STAY THE HELL OUT OF OUR MILITARY!!!

Now as to whether its true or not. NO it is not true.
It USED to be. but then the Laws changed. At first they could still drink at the "on Base" clubs but not off base.
Then they could not drink off base either. with one exception and that was San Diego, CA.
The reason San Diego was an exception was the proximity of Tijuana, Mexico. They thought the Sailors and Marines would just go to Mexico to drink if they weren't allowed to drink here, so they made the exception to keep us here in the states and not go to CORRUPT Mexico.

Since Many kept going to T.J. anyway they went ahead and rescinded the law to keep in compliance with other laws as well as the Navy went to a more strict view on Alcoholism and DUI's.

Answer 10

The general rule is stateside it is 21 everywhere. Overseas it is the age allowed by the local government or 20, whichever is older. People stationed overseas have found they are having a tough time getting served at bars off base more than they used to, but it happens. HOWEVER, if you are caught drunk on base and are underage by MILITARY standards, kiss your free time and possibly your military career good-bye! The time for ignoring drunk and disorderly has passed.