There’s a certain level of decorum expected for anyone who wears the uniform. That’s what basic training is for. Soldiers are torn down and built up to be the men and women that the United States need them to be.
“Be all you can be in the Army.”
Oh, if only that were true. Unfortunately, one story will show how far that branch of the military has fallen – especially as an entire Army unit has been banned from consuming alcohol because of what has been happening while stationed in Germany.
An Army unit was deployed to Bavaria, Germany. In an interview with Stars & Stripes, Army officials explained that they had no choice but to establish an alcohol ban from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Additionally, they suspended overnight passes for all of the soldiers in this unit.
The reason for this kind of response is simple. Major Patrick Connelly, a spokesman for the brigade, said that there were five soldiers who have been charged with DUIs. They were riding on electric scooters and drinking – and they’ve been doing so since arriving at the Grafenwoehr training area in March.
Throughout Germany, e-scooters are quite common. However, drunken scooting is treated in a similar way as driving drunk in conventional vehicles.
As reported by American Military News, “The restrictions went into effect on July 7 and will remain in effect until the unit has time to retrain soldiers.”
Connelly added that “It is vital to our mission in the European theater of operations that we uphold good order and discipline within our formations.”
We have enough problems presenting ourselves professionally on the international stage. We have Joe Biden babbling like an idiot and Kamala Harris laughing like a hyena. At the very least, we need to make sure that our military installations are behaving professionally.
Throwing back a few beers is one thing. Taking an e-scooter out for a joy ride can be a great way to let off some steam. However, when the activities come crashing together to lead to drunken and disorderly conduct, Army officials have no choice but to step in.
The unit facing the restrictions are from Fort Stewart, Georgia. Clearly, many of the soldiers are excited to be in Germany, where the beer flows more freely than water. They must remember why they are in Germany, though. They were deployed as part of the NATO response to Russia invading Ukraine.
There are thousands of U.S. troops all around Europe. It is all designed to bolster the edges of the NATO alliance to ensure that Russia stays in its lane. Should they grow tired of Ukraine and attack a NATO ally, the troops will be ready to provide defense.
The number of troops are growing. When Russia first invaded, the troops were at around 70,000. Now, it’s estimated that the troop levels have grown to over 100,000.
Germany has been grateful to see the addition of U.S. troops to provide protection for their country. That being said, they won’t look the other way if our soldiers break any of their laws, including using e-scooters under the influence.
We need to do better. All eyes are on us, and our soldiers need to remember the old motto of the Army. They need to be all that they can be, minus a stein in their hands.
