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"I can state from first-hand experience that alcohol use by those under 21 clearly has a negative impact on troop readiness." Dr. Nathaniel Berg, MD
I write not as a doctor but as a former military officer. During the 13 years I served as an officer in the Army, including four years on Guam, I can state from first-hand experience that alcohol use by those under 21 clearly has a negative impact on troop readiness.
We all recognize (or should) the courage, sacrifice and patriotism of our younger soldiers, sailors and airmen. The readers of the Pacific Daily News also know of the higher likelihood of younger individuals to turn altercations into physical confrontations and how this is much more likely when alcohol has been used. Remove alcohol and the clearer mind has an improved ability to do its job and think rather than react.
One cannot magically mature and gain the experience of a 21-year-old by joining the military. Sadly, while stationed on Guam I witnessed alcohol use contribute to fights, destruction of marriages, motor-vehicle accidents, child abuse, poor job performance and the ruining of many military careers. This occurred in those under 21 more often than in older military personnel. Alcohol use by younger dependants was often contributory.
My experience has been shared by many military officers and senior enlisted members as reflected in the current order in place restricting alcohol use by Marines and Airmen in Okinawa. The directive is clear: "Persons subject to this order, who are under 21 years of age, shall not consume alcoholic beverage."
The military leadership recognizes that reasonably delaying the opportunity for legal consumption of alcohol by this impressionable age group, while aligning the legal drinking age with the vast majority of U.S. jurisdictions, is appropriate. Our local leaders should support efforts to promote responsible use of alcohol and deter abuse. Raising the drinking age on Guam to 21 years will surely aid in this effort and improve troop readiness.
Those who argue that being able to die for your country at 18 should translate into an ability to buy alcohol fail to recognize that the ability to die and fight for our country is universal and not restricted to those on active duty. Our country's founding fathers knew that maturity comes only with time. Although one may join the military at 18, they must wait an additional 17 years before they are eligible to run for president.
Nathaniel B. Berg, M.D., is a local physician and former Army doctor who was stationed at Naval Hospital Guam.
The standard underage drinking prevention policy in our country
By: Louis Crus
Graduating Medical Student
John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii
I am a local boy from Guam who is trying my best to obtain the best medical training possible so I can return and help our people and improve our community. As a former student of Guams educational system, I know the problems with underage drinking first hand.
First, the biggest problem with underage drinking for Guam is the lack of a real underage prevention program, a program thats geared towards those who are under the age of 21. I am absolutely in full support of our people taking the first step in empowering ourselves to take control of our alcohol environment by voting YES for a legal drinking age of 21. Once this law is changed to 21, we can then truly implement a underage drinking prevention program thats in line with our national policy. After all, when our government experts who are sent off island for training to prevent underage drinking, they are directed to those under the age of 21 and not 18.
Federal and Guams public safety advocates said its important to acknowledge the significance of the law that established the 21 drinking age. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law have proven to saved the lives of more 20,000 young people who otherwise would have died in alcohol-related traffic accidents. In fact, one of the strategies listed by the Health and Human Services of the United States is to ensure that all states and territories have a drinking age law of 21. Guam must adopt this important intervention, it can only help.
Second, the alcohol marketing is famous for enticing the underage drinkers in college to drink alcohol. The industry states they spend a lot of money in making sure "responsibility matters," but it seems like a contradiction and a conflict of interests when I see a ad that encourages you to drink their product. The fact is, alcohol companies spend millions of dollars luring underage drinkers in college. This marketing tactic is now being question and scrutinized by the NCAA. Former basketball coach Dean Smith from the University of North Carolina said, "We need to understand that children start following athletics at a young age of nine or ten. These beer ads are highly appealing to them. When beer companies say that their ads arent targeted at young people, I find it hard to believe."
Third, we cannot ignore the obvious health impact on Guam due to alcohol. As a future doctor who will be returning to Guam, I want to take an active role in curbing alcohol related diseases which I am sure has cost it our only hospital millions of dollars. The lives loss due to alcohol can not be ignored. If we can prevent underage drinking by changing our mentality about alcohol and insist that our people not to take the first drink until the age of 21, we will improve the health and quality of life for generations to come.
Fourth, parents do play a big role in educating their kids to make the right choices, however, we all know that it takes much more than parent. Peer pressure in high school. One of the biggest terms I have heard is the term "designated buyers," those who are 18 and 19 year olds who are still in high school are often called to buy the beer and bring them to parties with the 12 17 year olds. The strategy here can curtail and decrease this access by raising the age to 21 years old. At the age of 21, he or she will be out of high school and less likely to be partying with those who are still in high school at a much younger age.
Fifth, community coalitions have proven to work. The most recent work of PEACE, Mental Health, Guam Medical Society, Guam Nursing Society, Guam Social Workers, Guam Police, Guam High Way Patrol, Teachers, Students, MADD and many businesses inspired by Coalition 21 have done a tremendous service to our community just by raising the awareness. This effort of the coalition must continue and the people of Guam should embrace this spirit and join in on this coalition effort in not just to raise the drinking age to 21 but to continue their work.
Lastly, we cannot discount the importance of implementing a true 21 and drinking prevention program for our island. We must support this change, so that we can save our childrens future.
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