Alaska Considering Lowering Drinking Age For Troops

Should there be a lower drinking age for members of the military? Alaska state Republican Rep. Bob Lynn (pictured) wants the troops, many of whom are under age 21, to have the opportunity to hoist a few. And he wants them to have the right to smoke, too. In Alaska the smoking age is 19.

“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.

This does not have the support of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was once president of Texas A&M.

“One of the things we’re seeing as a result of repeated tours is not just an increase in suicides but an increase in risky behaviors, particularly by young men. And so that would be a concern of mine,” Gates said at a House committee hearing this month under questioning from [Congressman Jack] Kingston.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.