Why are teenagers allow to join the military at age 18, but can't drink at 18?

Question

How come teenagers at age 18 are not allow to drink, but they are allow to join the military. You can't have it both ways, you allow people you consider, to immature to make a rational decision for one thing that could kill you, but you allow for another. Either they raise the age of consent to join the military to age 21 or lower the age of consent to drink to 18. Why would the United States have such an inconsistant and hypocritical law?

Answer 1

there are only a few country's in the world with a drinking age of 21, all the other countries seem to get along with it at 18, but we are just that screwed up that we feel we should join countries like Mongolia, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman.

Answer 2

people who're 21 won't be able to incorporate themselves whilst they drink, what makes you think of an 18 year previous is gonna have the brains to incorporate themselves. it is going to easily recommend greater deaths on the highways. I remember whilst Wyoming's eating age improve into 19 (1984) and all the states have been already 21. the government threatened to do away with thousands and thousands of greenbacks in street restoration if Wyoming did no longer up the age. They did. i improve right into a bartender at that factor and it actually replaced over night. And so did the DUIs and automobile injuries. i understand somewhat some underage young ones drink, yet making it criminal won't sparkling up something. good pollby way of ways.

Answer 3

I agree with you, but I also agree with the law. You should be considered responsible enough to drink if you take on the responsibility of war. . . HOWEVER, drinking at home could lead to the injury of innocent lives. And statistically, teenagers would be more likely to mess up by drinking and driving. When you go to war, you are not inebriated. You are of sound mind and the only people you can hurt are friendlies, enemies, or OTHER countries civilians. You aren't hurting any innocent American lives by being deployed.

I think MAYBE that people who are 18 with an ACTIVE DUTY military I.D. should be allowed to buy alcohol, but I've just turned 22 and have seen many 18-20 year old soldiers acting pretty stupid, and giving them the right to buy alcohol just does not sit right with me. I would probably vote against it if it were on the ballot. Sorry, I feel for you, man, but there are a LOT of stupid enlisted kids out there!

Answer 4

up until about the 80s one of the benefits of joining the military is you could start drinking right away. But then those MADD folks all spoiled the fun. It's not like such laws are very well enforced. when my friend was in the marines he probably crashed more jeeps dead drunk before 21 than most people get in fender benders in a life time (of course nice things about jeeps.... you just get a bunch of guys and tip it back up again).

But I think if you are crazy enough to join the military you should have 3 years of hard knocks just to get your head straight enough to be able to handle alcohol.

I suppose the proper solution would raise graduation age to 21 and the military age to 21 and just have 21 be a bang up year.

Answer 5

Ah, the old "I'm old enough to die for my country" argument.

Seventeen is the minimum age that people would be considered developed and mature enough to work as a soldier. You wouldn't have a ten year old working as a bricklayer or a kid starting primary school three years early. It has little to do with whether or not you're old enough to make that rational decision on your own. Let's face it - recruit any younger than that, and you're not typically going to end up with good soldiers.

I can appreciate that maybe eighteen should be old enough to drink in the US (here in Australia, it's 17 to be enlisted if the recruiters think you're mature enough and 18 to drink). But the age limits are for two different things. Besides, most teenage drinkers turn out to be loud mouths, show offs and idiots. I prefer a few drinks and laughing with my mates, they're all after vomiting on the sidewalk, trying to impress underaged girls and harassing people with noise.

Answer 6

Before the drinking age was standardised at 21 in the US, 70% of all drink driving accidents were cause by under 21 year-olds. Joining the military provides an opportunity to learn skills and discipline. History has taught that allowing under 21s to drink leads to other people's deaths - you don't have the right to take others lives in your hands. There's a huge difference here...chalk and cheese...

Answer 7

At 18 your can do anything but drink. You can buy a house, car, have a credit card. Women can have a child before 21 (which is a mature adult action), but can't drink.

Just so you know overseas the military (at their descretion) allows members to abide by local laws. We live in Europe and they allow the 18 year olds to drink here b/c that is the drinking age. If you act stupid and immmature - then the its back to 21 for them.

Answer 8

Personally, I think they should make the drinking age 16 and everything else 18...particularly driving. That way you have a couple years to get the stupidity out of your system before you're allowed to drive.

Answer 9

Because it is the law. I don't agree with it, but that's the way it is. You can thank that religious twit Gen Wickham for the requirement that military personnel be 21 to consume alcohol on base. When I enlisted in 1971, I could drink on-post even though I was only 17. Gen Wickham changed all that. When Gen Wickham was the CINC, EUSA, he used to go around with his Sergeant Major checking to make sure that officers and senior NCOs did not have females in the BEQ's.

Answer 10

Well I suppose you can look at it like.....
The everyday average 18 year old probably is a little immature to handle drinking responsibly. Go to most college towns and you can see how most act when they get their hands on beer. Now that is talking about every regular 18 year old out there not in the army.
Now I DO BELIEVE if you are 18 and you have joined the army that you should be able to drink. !8 year olds in the army should be diciplined through basic training, combat, and whatever else. Most 18, 19, 20 year olds in the Army are a little bit more mature than just everyday 18-20 year olds just because of training and experiences of the Army.