I am not sure. Maybe they feel if he is ready to lay down his life for his country, the least they can do is let him throw back some cool frosty brews.

my friends are allowed to do that and theyre mostly 17 now. 3 different basic training places so it must be true. Not unless theyre lying though. id be more focused on training not gulping down beers at basic though wethere im 18 or 17. Thats just me though.

What?! The military is doing something unethical?!?! Stop the presses!

mam i am in the army, no mam they will not let him buy or drink beer, all he gets in basic is lemonade that has a chemical that will keep him from even getting a hard one. rest easy he'll be okay

No, I don't believe it. I was in the Navy and for some reason the military is very strict about this issue. No alcohol for 17 years!!! BTW this is the ONLY question on this whole website under the keyword bootcamp!

It is not that the Army is letting them drink; rather, it is fellow soldiers looking out (or shall we say hooking up) other soldiers. But yes, it is certainly possible that your son will consume some alcohol while at bootcamp.

Maybe depends on the base. But Pretty much all or most of the soliders drink there. Since my Fiance is in the army I know. I see underaged military guys getting drunk all the time there.

if a man is old enough to put his name on the line and die for his country,he's damn sure old enough to drink a beer!

if a man is old enough to put his name on the line and die for his country,he's damn sure old enough to drink a beer!

if a man is old enough to put his name on the line and die for his country,he's damn sure old enough to drink a beer!

It is more of an unwritten code that the military lives by. When I was in, I was 18 when I went in, and never got carded buying alcohol on base. Off base you are subject to civilian law, on base, military juristiction. As an MP, we were well aware of where that line was and when not to cross it, and we always helped the new soldiers know where the line was.

You know, my husband just finished basic training, and although I don't generally approve of underaged drinking, I think that he sure as heck will need a beer, and at least he won't be able to drive around. However, it is unlikely he will have access to beer during basic, at least my husband sure didn't - he didn't even have soda, and wasn't allowed to buy them at the PX. When your son goes off to his MOS training it will be different. I do know that the drill sergeants tend to prevent underaged drinking. Good luck to your son, and thank him for his service!

as a service member, and someone who is in the army branch i can tell you from experiance that he will not be able to buy alchohol while in basic training, nor will he be able to purchase while on post. The PX and class six (military liquer store) are extremely strict on underage drinking and nobody in the military would even attemp to buy their alchohol from a military post if underaged. you actually cant buy anything from a military store without checking your I.D. to make sure you are military, and its on the back. most PX also know when you are in training status, and would notify your drill SGT that you are acting out of place. however... after training and when he gets into AIT he will make plenty of friends who are of age and will be able to buy alchohol and will when he is on pass(we call them hotel parties) and when he gets done with training. i can tell you from experiance that the military is family in that sense and will take good care of your son, if he hangs out with the right crowd. but there are always exceptions to the policy, and people do get into accidents and trouble. tell your son that if and when he drinks when he does, that he has a place to crash and that he is drinking with people he trust if he has a good judge in character. good luck, and i am a nurse in the army stationed at FT STEWART. i am getting out when my time is up, but the military was invaluable to me maturing as a resposible adult. it should have the same effect on him.