FORT BLISS, Texas (AP) -- This military base in the far West Texas desert stood as the last Army post in America where if you were old enough to fight and die for your country, you were old enough to drink a beer.

But the party is over at Fort Bliss.

Citing too many drunken-driving crashes and arrests and too many fights, the new commanding general has raised the drinking age on base from 18 to 21, bringing 17,000-soldier Fort Bliss into line with what has been the law in the rest of Texas since 1986.

And not only that, but all Fort Bliss soldiers are barred from slipping across the Mexican border to Ciudad Juarez, the city of famously loose morals where young Americans have been getting drunk - and getting into trouble - for generations. From now on, no passes to Juarez will be issued.

The new policy took effect May 22.

Heh. I didn't know that Army still had *anywhere* that we hadn't raised the drinking age to 21 - most of that occurred back in the early 80's. Of course, since I was over the age, I never really paid attention to it, and when I was commanding, it was in places where the installation drinking age was 21.

But now units are routinely shipping back and forth to Iraq and Afghanistan, and base officials say young men and women have been using alcohol to blow off steam - too much steam.

Maj. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, who took over in January, cracked down after a review of base crime statistics showed that in late 2007 and early 2008, sexual assaults, domestic violence and traffic accidents by soldiers 18, 19 or 20 involved alcohol more often than not.

Before the war, "we didn't have a large number of incidents involving younger soldiers," said Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt. "We weren't in a wartime situation, which made for a difference in behavior upon returning."

Heh. Effect.

I expect we'll hear the usual arguments from the usual suspects. H/t Kevin for the AP article.