[downsouth]

0.1% gets you counseling. I don't know if this is much of a change from recent years. Would appreciate some veterans take.

http://fxn.ws/12FpVOS

[Gone_South]

Wow. If this was the policy when I was in it would have been a very, very small Corps

[trip286]

Okay, here's my take.
Drinking and driving = absolutely zero tolerance in the Marine Corps, period. 0.0001 (or however many decimals a breathalyzer will test to) gets you an immediate DUI if everything is followed by the book. If ANY alcohol at all shows up on it, you're done sir, done.

The Marine Corps also, the last time I checked, had the highest rates of alcohol abuse, underage drinking, domestic violence, domestic dispute, domestic assault, drug use, suicides, divorce, and child abuse. It's a very high stress job, with a high rate of problems that stem from high stress levels.

The other branches may have more violators in number, but, traditionally, the Marine Corps has been the tip of the spear in percentages.

Also, these random breathalyzer tests seem to be aimed more towards Marines who are drinking under age, and drinking while on duty.

I really, very highly, doubt, that they will be randomly breathalyzing the 25 year old Marine who is chilling out in his barracks room on his off time, playing a video game and drinking a few beers.

If it curbs underage drinking, and drinking while on duty (keep in mind, on duty usually always means armed), then oh well, good for them. It does slightly bug me that there even is underage drinking in the military. I think that drinking or enlistment regulations need an overhaul.

If you're old enough to die (17), then you should be old enough for a beer. If 17 is too immature for a beer, then why the fugg are they allowed to fight and die?

[c3shooter]

The cutoff is not 0.1, but 0.01 for underage or on duty Marines. A few beers on a Saturday evening will not make you unfit for duty on Monday- but sucking down a quart of Jim Beam in the evening will probably leave you unfit for the morning run.

And I agree that the services DO need to deal with folks being unfit for duty. And the law IS what the law is on age (said the old man that was drinking PX three deuce beer at 17).

I am former Army- not Marine- but back in the day, if during morning PT and run I could smell the booze being sweated out of one of my errant children, the term used was "Platoon Sgt, (or 1st Sgt, or Sgt. Major) would you please take care of this?" If he needed my horsepower (rare, but it happened) he would let me know.

If I had a problem with a junior officer, I dealt with those directly.

[trip286]

Originally Posted by c3shooter

I am former Army- not Marine- but back in the day, if during morning PT and run I could smell the booze being sweated out of one of my errant children

Hahahaha.... That's a normal occurrence in the Marine Infantry... It can be strong enough that you smell it on the wind from the next block over!

[Gone_South]

And here I always thought the morning PT was to help get the alcohol out of our system before work.