Chad,

I don’t know why it has to “center” around booze, however as adults, supposed professionals and leaders, shouldn’t we be allowed the option? Like I said, it’s all training. How can you expect someone to pick you a rifle and qualify unless they’re trained? Same with professional, social interactions. If all a young leader’s experience when they sit and have a couple is to party and look for a significant other for the evening, then THAT is what they default to. However teach our young leaders to BE professionals, BE adults, and to interact with each other om a professional, adult, military manner, and I honestly think many of the SHARP situations we face in the military culture would begin to go away. But in order to do that we need MORE occasions to interact, to train, not fewer. However as to the question “why alcohol,” simple. It’s a social lubricant that puts people a little more at ease. Hiking? Great for the fit and free for the day. Eating? Again, great for the fit and those who don’t want to talk because they have their mouths full.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate baby sitting too. But we would have to babysit less if we had more people trained in how to conduct themselves in these situations. As it stands today, the only occasion Soldiers have to “train” in anything like this will be at your next unit ball, and we all know how that’s going to go down.