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My brother has a good friend at the Air Force Academy (he is in his second year, I believe). The drinking/partying culture is still alive and well, despite what may be portrayed now. This kid went there to get an education and become a pilot, and he was shocked at how much drinking and partying is done by upperclassmen in particular. He said it's as if all discipline breaks down and it's like being at a frat party at a normal college. Apparently it has toned down a bit, and gone a bit more "underground" but it is still happening.

I wonder if the drinking/partying culture is as strong at the other academies as at Air Force? A friend of mine who graduated from Annapolis said that the frat-house atmosphere doesn't exist there, or didn't between 1999-2003 when he was there. If people wanted to get sloshed, they went off-campus for that. Ditto for Coast Guard, and I also have friends who go to CGA. It is rare, but I do know one guy who was kicked out of CGA at the beginning of his senior year for excessive alcohol violations.

I find it pretty hard to believe that there's such a difference between the way they treat the 18 year old enlistees and the officer candidates.

They got to the point where enlisted going through basic training couldn't get alcohol at all. When they got to their first training assignment they weren't allowed off base for several weeks unless they were married. I remember that we could only get 3.2 beer in Illinois, even on base.