The US Military takes 18yr olds and trains them to fight for our freedom, but what about theirs? They have to wait 3yrs to be recognized as adults with all the rights 21 and over have.
Should 18yr olds in the US Military be legally allowed to consume alcohol on and off base? Also, should US Military be legally allowed to gamble? Should they not have the same rights as 21yr olds?
These questions have been going around for sometime now. It is about time our government listens to their constituents and changes the law that was passed in 1982 that required all military bases to comply with the law of the land. No drinking under the age of 21.
I have heard all the clichés:
They are too irresponsible to drink at this age.
Raising the drinking age saves lives.
They are kids and don't know how to handle drinking.
They don't know when to stop drinking, one leads to another and another.
Any of this sound familiar? I will agree that 18yr olds, not in the military, can be very irresponsible and they don't know how to handle alcohol. Do not get me wrong here; I am not referring to all 18yr olds, just the majority of them. Am I an expert on child behavior? I would answer that with no, even though I studied child physiology in college, I do not see myself as an expert, but I am a mother of an 18yr old. If anyone asked me a year ago about the drinking age, I would have replied keep it at 21. However, I now know that is an irresponsible and ignorant reply when it is related to the military.
I am sure most of you can relate to what I am about to say next. The thoughts and actions of a typical teenager:
Parents know nothing, they know everything.
We, as parents, are the dumbest people on earth.
They are, the teenagers not us, nasty, irresponsible and in no way do they listen.
Their cell phone always seems to malfunction when we call. Somehow their friends must have a way of fixing this malfunction that we are not privy to.
They think we have a money tree in the yard (that is when the nice side of them appears).
Do not hug or kiss them, you will only embarrass them.
Everything we do embarrasses them.
I have experienced all this and more which I am sure most of you also have as parents. Now I want to explain why I have changed my mind and it was not a hard thing to do
since I experienced this first hand. Last October, at 4:30am, a Sergeant from the United States Marine Corps took my son to Parris Island, South Carolina. As you can imagine, even though he drove me nuts, I missed him so. You forget all the things mentioned above and look forward to your next meeting with your child.
That meeting finally came in January, 2008. The only thing is my child was gone! A young man came up to me after graduation and actually hugged and kissed me in front of hundreds of people. To my astonishment, it was my son! He was no longer the irresponsible person I knew for 18yrs. He has respect, wisdom and maturity that I could not install for 18yrs, but the military accomplished it in three months. That night we had friends over and he said to one of his friends “I learned a lot and realized that my parents know everything, I knew nothing. Listen to your parents because they are right, believe me, you are wrong.” This kid's mother started to cry and saw what a respectable young man I have now. His cell phone doesn't malfunction anymore either and at the end of every call he says I Love You, he never asks me for money and he actually goes out into the public with me and will give me a hug in front of his friends.
Now, I don't want to hear this is one case. It is not. I have been on three different Marine bases in the past few months and have had the opportunity to speak with many other parents who experienced the same. I also had the opportunity to speak with DI'S, SDI”S, Sergeants and Gunny Sergeants. Not one disagreed with me that these men and woman who proudly adorn the United States Marine Corps uniform should have every right given to 21yr olds. Our Country trains them to become killing machines and to Protect Our Freedom at all times but, if you are under the age of 21, you can not come home or anywhere else and have a drink or buy alcohol.
They are prepared to Die for this Country but this Country has no respect for them. They are treated as children, with the right to kill. Does this make sense to anyone? It does not to me nor others.
If you can give them a rifle, M16 or nuclear devices, too name a few, then they should be treated as an adult, not a child. If not, they should not be sent into harms way until they are fully qualified to have all the rights adults possess. They should be protected until they become of the rightful age of twenty one (21)! But, they are no longer children, their college years where taken from most of them and they progressed in life faster than we did.
The same goes for gambling. They work harder and are more prepared in life than most people I know. They are responsible and should have the right to decide for themselves if they want to gamble or not. The government dictates to the service men and woman but treats them as if they were children living under their roof. This needs to change. People right now are probably thinking, what kind of parent am I. Well I will tell you. These are not the best attributes to be fighting for, but I am fighting for their right of freedom, respect and to be recognized as adults with all the rights adults have. The old saying stands here: You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!
Q Was it the poet or the soldier who gave us the freedom of Speech?
A The Soldier
Q Was it the reporter or the soldier who gave us the freedom of the Press?
A The Soldier
Q Was it the politician or the soldier that ensured our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?
A The Soldier
Q Who salutes the Flag and whose coffin is draped by the Flag?
A The Soldier
If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and
appreciation for the Military; Please write, phone or e-mail your Congressman/woman and tell them to change the law so our service men and woman can have the freedom they are fighting for, for us!
Don't limit it to just your Congressman/woman let as many know as you wish. Ask others to do the same and maybe they will have the recognition they deserve. Pray for our men and women Who have served and are currently serving our country And pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
