Putting aside the nationwide age-21 drinking law, Marine Corps officials are allowing service members ages 18 and older to drink alcohol during special occasions at Camp Pendleton and other Marine facilities, the North County Times reported May 18.

The policy change will allow young Marines to drink during welcome-home parties after combat deployments and during the annual Marine Corps birthday celebration, among other events. The new rules also will allow Marines ages 18-20 to drink alcohol during port calls where the drinking age is lower than in the U.S. Other branches of the U.S. armed services already allow soldiers and sailors under age 21 to drink overseas.

Marine officials and the California attorney general failed to reply to media inquiries about whether the policy violated Defense Department policy or state alcohol laws. A 1995 DoD policy states that drinking rules should comply with local state laws.

Individual Marines said that while they appreciated the rule change, the policy would have little practical effect, since most young Marines drink, anyway. But opponents and even some supporters of the policy worried that young drinkers might get themselves in trouble off base.

"We would hate to see a mother or father lose their child here on American soil in an alcohol-related crash or injure somebody else while impaired," said San Diego Mothers Against Drunk Driving executive director Pat Hodgkin.