Posted on 04/30/2017 8:56:49 PM PDT by hapnHal
Should we bring back the draft?
In the wake of another Memorial Day, when most Americans recognized their fallen veterans by staying home from the office, it’s worth taking a moment to consider a perennial question: Should the military draft return? Yes, argued Joseph Epstein in The Atlantic earlier this year. Epstein, a short story writer and former draftee who served in the Army from 1958 to 1960, opposes an all-volunteer force for several reasons: It’s unfair for a tiny percentage of Americans—less than one percent—to shoulder the burden of fighting wars; the American public isn’t knowledgeable enough on foreign policy; the draft could rehabilitate young criminal offenders; and, most of all, a draft would contribute to the “melting pot” that makes America great.
Personally, I don't think the military actually did background checks and just arbitrarily gave out the clearances based on the MOS.......
An incident happened to me which kinda confirms my belief. I was the shift supervisor in the comm-center one weekend when a top secret flash message came in over a non secure channel from a center on the other side of the panama canal. I had to immediately call my staff sergeant at home and inform him of this security violation, and as for me, since I only had a secret clearance, I wasn't authorized to view the message but since it was still only on teletype tape, that wasn't an issue.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the first thing Monday morning I had to report to the center's CO and give a full report. By the next day, my security clearance was upped to top secret and that was the end of that.........LOL!
Keep it volunteer... make teachings civics mandatory
It was the certainty of being drafted that drove me to take the oath on February 7, 1967 in the USNR. I spent 2 years on active duty overseas.
Today, nearly a half century later, I am so proud of my 7 years service. But for “the draft” egging me on, I’m certain that this 18 year old would not have joined up voluntarily.
Thank you for your service. I served from '77 to '84, i.e. at the beginning of the all volunteer force. Those early years were challenging, and made more difficult by inadequate funding during the Carter years. My unit in Germany rarely got above 80% strength. In one of the three platoons I led, three of my four squad leaders were "acting jacks", i.e. E-4s where there should be E-6s.
OTOH, that was one of my best times in the military, training these men to be leaders, and I wasn't much older than them. I was 23, they were 20-21. We shocked every one when we had the only platoon (of four) to pass a battery-level evaluation. I wasn't shocked though, I knew we had a good group of soldiers.
There's not that much money to be saved in personnel costs by going back to the draft. The real savings comes from reforming the weapons acquisition process.
The real truth is, I accepted an Army ROTC scholarship in 1972. My commitment after graduation was 4 years, but I hung around for eight, long enough to meet my future bride, whom I met when she was hired in my section at Fort Bliss.
That depends, you think we’ll have a war where human wave attacks would be productive?
And numerically the draft would be just as "unfair" because they would still be taking the same number of people.
The numbers of people in the military have not fallen because of a lack of a draft, they have fallen because people who are in the military are being forced out.
Within the last year we had a number of Air Force Majors who were forced out before getting to their twenty.
We now have the smallest military force since pre-WWII.
Every time some nitwit starts moaning about "bringing back the draft" they are generally trying to do one of three things; They want to do social experiments on them, They want the military to be a parent and straighten those kids out, They want the sixties back again.
There is never any other reason no matter what kind of pretty paper they try to wrap it in.
No.
The Dims want it like they want every excuse for a new protest cause. They want it for how their Leftist managers will use it, negatively.
I voluntarily enlisted in the Army just at the end of the draft era and the draftees were the biggest bunch of dimwits, criminals, and layabouts were never before seen in one place at one time (even more than Washington, DC or your average Democrat city). The peace-time draft army was, as Hedley Lamar put it: "rustlers, cut-throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists."
Yes, I had friends who were involved in draft resistance. Hard to put your heart and soul into fighting China/ North Vietnam for the Southies, who didn’t seem to care as much. I’m not happy with Round-the-World Wars.
Well, if Obama didn't lead from behind and ignore the N. Korea build up we might be able to avoid round the world wars. I'm not into it either, let's just bomb them.
Has anyone ever noticed that it is usually only the lefties that make this argument? The Generals don’t want it, we have plenty of people signing up for the all volunteer force, why exactly do we want to ruin a good thing? Oh that’s right, everyone (read the rich) has to pay their fair share in the military....
I had several young men transferred to my platoons, those who had real problems with authority. I never had a problem with them, though. First, I gave them a clean slate. Two, I told them in no uncertain terms I was the platoon leader, and I expected them to learn how to become good soldiers. Three, if they couldn't work for me, I'd ship their rear ends to our sister battalion in Mannheim. They were attached to the 1st ID (Big Red One), and spent 8 months in the mud at Grafenwoehr. We were airbase defense, and our barracks was on an AF base, where the mess hall made omelets to order for breakfast. For most, it was an easy choice...lol.
In the days prior to his arrival in my platoon, I encountered a soldier fresh off the mean streets of Chicago. He thought it would be funny to drop his M-16 within eyesight of an evaluator during an alert. I walked over to him, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "if I see you do that again, I'll shove that rifle up your bleep-bleep-bleep."
He gave me a look of "displeasure", lol, and I informed him, "you may have been #1 on your block, but this is my neighborhood."
Two weeks later, he was transferred to my platoon. I never had a problem with him during the six months I was his platoon leader. Within six weeks of my move to another job, he was transferred out of the battery. Damn shame.
The military that drafted the author in the late 50s/early 60s was a far different one that emerged during and after VietNam.
Received this post.....Makes sense to me.
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…….I personally have always held the view that all male, and/or females of our species should be required to complete compulsory military training beginning as soon as the person has completed high school. (Could be accomplished by membership in RESERVES.)as well.That person would be required to complete the equivalent of 3 months boot camp which they would be compensated for. I see nothing wrong in this .It should also become a definite component of citizenship. This would be a hand ,and glove sort of thing and attached to a military draft obligation as well. In fact I am also a believer in returning ROTC to our high schools which could be an elective, in the high school curriculum. Such students are prepared to for entrance to our officer training programs either at Fort Benning,GA.,or at any of the military academies, including Merchant Marine Academy. ………after graduation all become automatically members of our RESERVE OFFICERS POOL for life.
I’m not happy with Round-the-World Wars.
And Europe can sink on it’s own.
Where are you going to get money for the facilities and the personal?
We only have 1.3 million currently active.
Are you going to triple the size of the military or are you just going to pull them from their current jobs to fix your parenting mistakes?
“The only time a draft makes sense to me is in a situation like WW2 where the problem is too many men are volunteering ...”
Yes; many people don’t know that the Selective Service Act of 1940 was enacted to keep people with critical skills (farmers, machinists, etc.) out of the military. It was only later in the war that the demand for soldiers and Marines exceeded the supply of volunteers, because of mounting casualties.
Sure wasn't Machiavelli, who had a low opinion of mercenaries as soldiers. Also, there can be overlap, no?
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