Posted on 06/15/2004 6:43:06 AM PDT by the_devils_advocate_666
Bob Gay/The Dominion Post Photos
U.S. Army recruiter SFC Willie Richardson stands by a bulletin board bearing photos of the newest recruits to enlist in the Morgantown area. Richardson said recruits from the area have a high level of patriotism and interest in serving their country.
"I'm definitely against it. I just think that if you inscript people you get people who don't want to be there. The military would be better suited by those individuals who want to be there. Whether it's men or women, a voluntary system would make a bett er military."
Buz Clark, furniture
company owner
"I think it's a good idea. It's good for people to serve their country. Men and women -- in Israel it's mandatory they serve. I think all young people should serve. I think it's their duty -- for our freedoms. My parents served. My brother served. We have freedoms. We need to protect them."
Tim White, Morgantown
resident
"Yes, if we need the draft, but not right now. It might not be the right thing now. But I don't think women should be in combat positions. They should be in safe positions."
Richard Guiler, WVU
graduate student studying aerospace engineering
"I enjoy living in this country. And if I needed to serve, I would to keep this great country going. My dad was in the military, and I would be willing to serve."
Jeff Certosimo, WVU
political science student
BY RONDA GREGORY
The Dominion Post
The United States military has relied on volunteers to fill its ranks for more than 30 years. But now a bill to reinstate the draft is sitting in the Senate Armed Services Committee that would require both women and men to serve.
U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., introduced the 2003 Universal National Service Act to bring back the military draft, ended in 1973 during President Richard Nixon's administration. The bill, if passed, would mandate either military or civilian service for all Americans, ages 18-26. The country's previous draft did not include women.
Though the proposed legislation has created rumors and debate, many U.S. legislators do not believe it has a chance to become law in the near future.
"I don't think the legislation will progress," said Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. "This movement has no momentum. It has lots of opposition, including me."
Predictions about the possibility of the bill moving forward cross partisan lines.
"While there has been talk for some time about reinstating the draft, I do not think that it will, between now and the election, be seriously entertained by this Congress," Rep. Alan B. Mollahan, D-W.Va., said.
Even Sen. Hollings' office said the bill is stalled.
"It's still in committee -- it's stalled," said Ilene Zeldin, Hollings' press secretary. "It's just collecting dust."
She said Hollings cannot do much more to push it through, because he's not on the committee.
Hollings, a World War II veteran and senior member of the Defense Appropriations Committee, said he proposed the bill to provide the needed manpower to fight the war on terrorism and "to defend the freedoms we fought so hard to obtain."
"As Americans, we must share in the sacrifice when Washington sends troops in harm's way," Hollings said in a press release.
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., agrees that all Americans should serve their country, but said he does not believe in reinstating the draft now.
"It is important for every American to give back to their country in some capacity," Rockefeller said. "While I don't think there is a need to reinstate the draft at this time, we must find a way to meet our defense and national security needs."
Tom Gavin, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd's press secretary, said Byrd has spoken with several military experts in an effort to find a way to prevent depleting the U.S.'s military personnel and would at least look at ways to accomplish that goal.
"Sen. Byrd has consistently expressed concern about the strain being placed on our armed services, especially the Reserves and the National Guard."
Sen. Byrd was out of the office and unavailable for direct comment.
Capito said there was no need for reinstating the draft.
"I would oppose such a move to reinstate the draft," Capito said. "I don't think it's necessary. Neither the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor the Secretary of Defense, nor the president have indicated a need or any deficiency that a draft would address."
Local military recruiters agreed that personnel numbers are not a concern at this time.
"The U.S. Army is meeting its retention and recruiting goals," U.S. Army Captain Scott Ball said. "For FYI 2004 we are at 102 percent."
Mollahan said bringing the draft debate to the table will shed light on the administration's policy decisions.
"It's a good way of raising the questions that are most meaningful to people, because everyone understands the costs of these military excursions when put in terms of human resources," Mollahan said. "Then everyone is going to think very carefully about the costs and benefits of these military excursions of Mr. Bush."
Some local young people are thinking about those costs.
"I'd be completely against a draft," Amos Turner, 19, said. "Though I have the highest respect for the men and women in the armed services -- past, present and future -- I don't think anyone should ever be forced to fight. It should be the individual's dec ision, not the government's, because of personal, moral and individual freedoms."
Other young people said they would serve, if called.
"I really wouldn't want to go," Derrick Cole, 14, said. "But I would do it if my country needed me to -- to protect my family, friends and everyone else in the U.S.A."
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said the people in the state are willing to serve in the military and that's one of the reasons the draft is not necessary.
"You don't have to draft West Virginians to serve our country," Rahall said. "Our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and friends and neighbors throughout our coalfields already volunteer in the thousands to wear America's uniform. The war overseas and our emergencies here at home have called our servicemen and women into action. Today, we don't need a draft, we need a plan to get our people home."
The Hollings legislation is the Senate companion to a bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich.
Note that Democrats are pushing the Draft.
Gee, that's nice. But this isn't Israel.
Depends on who you ask, most military professionals would say that it was a bad idea. Many of the reasons are cited in this article such as the better performance of individuals who "want" to be there instead of are "forced" to be there.
However, our drafted military has performed quite admirably in the past when the country is united behind the cause (e.g. WWII).
While I don't support the draft I do think that if we had one, it should be as proposed by this bill - no exceptions or deferrments, and open to both men and women. However, as long as we are meeting our recruiting goals there is no need for a draft. This effort strikes me as a purely political way to undercut support for our efforts in Iraq.
Oh yeah, I forgot...military excursions only happen when a Pub is president.
FMCDH(BITS)
Necessity has historically been the mother of conscription; when we feel sufficiently threatened, we'll have a draft. While I'm not philosophically opposed to drafting women (for support functions) we learned in WWII that private industry can use the labor pool of women left behind for war production; i.e., Rosie the Riveter.
Draft = Slavery in my opinion. It is the only reason to have opposed the Vietnam war. I never say never, but a Draft is something I would consider only in the most extreme circumstances.
Is requiring everyone to put in a year or two of service to their country really a "draft"? Maybe you get to elect if you want to be a soldier or just clean up liter on the highways.
It's a horrible idea. Conscription is a form of slavery.
People in the military should make lots of money, lots.
Defending the country is too important to be left to those who don't want to do it.
A country that won't defend itself doesn't deserve it's sovereignty.
I think any kind of involuntary servitude is slavery. We need to make the military more attractive (drastically increased pay and benefits), no matter what the cost. I know that becomes impractical, but I am speaking hypothetically..
How about you just come clean up at my house? I promise I won't arrest you and put you in prison if you do. It's only for two years.
Okay, how about we get rid of welfare/unemployment benefits (for certain groups) and instead tell them to just join the military?
Not at all. All you have to do is stop stealing money from one person and giving it to another and you would have plenty of money left to do the only thing governments are supposed to do in a free society, defend our rights.
That reminds of a joke about a hooker and painting a house.
There, I fixed it. You had it right in the first part.
Post WWII things were different. And people wanted the GI bill to go to college before all the govt. giveaway education programs for those who didn't serve.
The nation would maintain a pool of men with basic training who would provide the bodies necessary in wartime. With all men having an experience of the military and having finished the basic training there would not be that fear of the unknown that is the source of most of the resistance by young men to the military. When the country is at war the rate of enlistment will be much higher simply because military service is not alien. No exceptions (except medical and sexual) would make it a normal part of life, not something to be avoided at all costs.
Talk to me again after we have tried and failed to increase the size of the volunteer military. Most of those talking about reinstating the draft are Dems opposed to the war. They want a draft to be able to undermine Bush's support.
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