Alabama avoids military drinking age debate

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Alabama avoids military drinking age debate
By Jenn Rowell - Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
Posted : Monday Feb 18, 2008 12:46:14 EST

Old enough to fight, old enough to drink.

The line shorthands an argument for lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 for members of the military, which is what Kentucky and South Carolina want to do.

Alabama, though, won’t tackle the emotional issue anytime soon. There’s simply too much at stake to change the law, officials claim. The state would lose billions in federal funds. Years of work to curb underage drinking would be thrown out the window. And the social costs of dealing with increased alcoholism would soar.

Reducing the drinking age would clear the way for 2,000 young members of the Air Force and National Guard to drink a beer legally in Alabama. The impact on the Alabama National Guard would be significant, said Col. Anthony Cottles, head of recruiting and retention. About 1,700 Guard members — 10 percent of the state’s force — are younger than 21.

About 1,000 students come through the Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, according to the school’s Web site. Between Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex, 85 of those students are between the ages of 18 and 21.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_drinkingage_080218/