BEANS, BULLETS, BANDAIDS AND BEER!

By MSgt Andy Bufalo USMC (Ret)

www.usmcstories.com

    It was bound to happen sooner or later, in fact I kind of expected it - but even so I was dumbfounded.  During a recent trip to a local restaurant I was waiting in the bar area (which doubled as the waiting area) for a table to become available when I noticed a young Marine Lance Corporal in his  "Charlie" uniform doing the same.  I instinctively scanned the ribbons on his chest, and immediately recognized that he was wearing a Combat Action Ribbon and Purple Heart, which is awarded for wounds received in combat (unless, of course, your name is John Kerry).

    I waved the waitress over, pointed out the young Devil Dog, and told her that I'd like to buy the wounded combat veteran a beer.  She nodded, smiled at me approvingly, and headed over to find out what brand the Marine preferred.  I was quite pleased to have an opportunity to show my gratitude, if only in a small way, to one of the heroes who has put his country first and his personal safety second.  A minute later the waitress returned and informed me that I could NOT buy the Leatherneck any alcoholic beverages because he was “gasp!“ under age.

    I was stunned.  Of course I realize the law says you have to be twenty-one or older to drink, but I found that hard to swallow given the circumstances.  How can this be?  At eighteen these guys are old enough to sign on the dotted line, go through the meat-grinder of Parris Island or San Diego, and proudly pin on the Eagle, Globe and Anchor of a United States Marine (or, in the case of our sister services, some shiny emblem located between their  "I made it through basic training" ribbon and the grenade throwing badge).  But they can't have a beer.

    Those newly graduated members of the Armed Forces are then sent to schools to learn their Military Occupational Specialties, and when finished are assigned duties as plane captains in charge of multi-million dollar jet fighters, intelligence analysts, communications technicians - and grunts with the mission of assaulting the terrorist stronghold of Fallujah.  (as was the case with the Marine in the restaurant).  Those young Americans are entrusted with millions of dollars worth of equipment, and their ability to do their jobs properly often determines whether their comrades live or die on the battlefield.  But "they can't" have a beer.

        At eighteen they can enter into legal contracts.  At eighteen they can get a license to drive a car.  At eighteen they can get married and have children.  At eighteen they can legally buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke every one of them if they want (although I've never really understood why anyone would do that).  At eighteen they can even go to the ballot box and help choose our nation's leaders. But "they can't" have a beer.

    Every year, eighteen-year-old (and younger) college students pour across the border into Mexico during spring break to take advantage of the nonexistent drinking age laws in that country, and while they are partying their hearts out the members of our newest "greatest generation" are guarding the frontiers of our great nation.  While those college kids are filming "girls gone wild" videos in Cancun, the members of our military are living in conditions which make those of the Gitmo detainees seem luxurious in comparison, and are putting their lives on the line for their families and friends.  But "they can't" buy a beer.

    Wisconsin State Representative and Navy veteran Mark Pettis recently proposed a bill that would drop the legal drinking age for servicemen in his state to nineteen, and while that is a small step in the right direction it is far from enough.  A federal law ties millions of dollars in highway funds to states' compliance with the twenty-one year old drinking age, and so it is at the federal level that this issue must be addressed.

    I know, I know - Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups are against lowering the age.  They cite statistics which show there have been fewer highway fatalities since the enactment of these laws in the 1980s, but they don't take into account the possibility that the numbers are down because today's drivers are better educated, law enforcement agencies are more proactive, and cars are generally safer than they were back then.  They also say "the brain is not fully developed until age twenty-one" and tell us that "It's for their own good."  That strikes me as an odd thing to say.  You mean think it's okay to send these young people to a place where bullets are flying and mortar rounds are falling from the sky but feel the need to "protect" them from the dangers of a Budweiser?  At eighteen they are old enough to die for our country.  But "they can't" have a beer!

    Here's what I think.  If eighteen-year-olds are mature enough to do all of the things I have mentioned, they should be allowed to drink and if they are not mature enough to drink, they sure as hell are not old enough to drive, vote, smoke, or die in combat.  You just can't have it both ways.

Andy Bufalo is a retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant who served five tours of duty with Reconnaissance and Force Reconnaissance units  and commanded the Marine Security Guard detachments at our embassies in Brazzaville, Congo and Canberra, Australia.  He is now an author and speaker who has become known as "The Storyteller of the Corps."  His work includes "The Older We Get, The Better We Were,"   "Not As Lean, Not As Mean, Still A Marine"and  "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday," which can be found online at www.usmcstories.com