I read a statement from Virginia Senator Jim Webb today, indicating he favors allowing the consumption of alcohol in war zones where our Soldiers are deployed. I have always listened to what he has to say, going back to when he was Secretary of the Navy, coupled with the fact he’s a veteran himself. His point is that the stress placed on those deployed today is such that having a way to unwind from time to time, with a beer for example, is better than overuse of prescription drugs and self medication, which according to a Military Times survey is growing in severity.
Having said this, there needs to be some level of control placed on the use of alcohol in war zones—remembering my Vietnam war zone experience where hardly anything was controlled. In sum, it’s a policy the DoD needs to take a look at. If a decision to continue the present ban is based solely on host nation sensitivities, then I say that’s not a good enough criteria alone to not allow some consumption of alcohol—like a beer or two.
