@brock

I can definitely understand the logic and you make some great points.  I think there is a clear distinction between a military skill required for the job, like weapons qualification, and a skill that is not required as part of the job, like drinking.  Is it really a leader’s responsibility to teach others to drink responsibly?  We all agree that being professional and responsible when it comes to sexual relations is important, but we don’t advocate having sex lessons or unit sex events.  I realize this is an extreme example, but I use it to illustrate a point.  There is a line drawn out there, so why is alcohol on one side and not the other?

Alcohol and sexual assaults are very closely linked.  I can only think of a few cases that I’ve dealt with or been a part of as an MP/with CID that did not involve alcohol at some point.  One argument, which you make, is that more exposure to alcohol and teaching people to be responsible is a best course of action to prevent sexual assaults.  A different argument is that encouraging alcohol at military events or informal functions is perpetuating a poor culture and creating part of the problem.  I don’t know which answer is right (if any of them).

I’m not advocating for banning alcohol, but I would like to see it further removed from military events.  Take the West Point branch night (the night cadets find out their branch).  West Point has alcohol for cadets.  It is widely known that cadets get completely wasted and part of that is part of the official event.  What is the lesson we are teaching these cadets?  Alcohol has its place and people enjoy it.  I’ll have a drink from time to time myself.  My issue is the pressure I’ve experienced by multiple peers and bosses/superiors to drink as well as the poor conduct that occurs when alcohol is involved.  I think people use the “let’s teach people how to drink responsibly” line many times (though, not always) as an excuse to make drinking seem ok.  Their goal is not actually to make people more responsible, but to drink or get drunk.  Some people do it responsibly and that is awesome.  Having alcohol at an event itself is not necessarily a problem in my mind.  However, alcohol has a tendency to become a central component.  Look at many unit dining ins.  How often do you see leaders getting wasted, many times starting at the top?  You can’t tell me that they are trying to teach professional social interactions and drinking responsibly at those functions.  If they are, they failed.