Involuntary draft met with mixed opinions - Most members of Congress do not think it will pass

The Dominion Post ^ | 6/15/2004 | Ronda Gregory

[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.

[Conservababe]

Perhaps I did not make myself clear. Men were drafted into the military unless deferred, in the fifties.

[Paradox]

Maybe something along those lines, but I wouldn't want alot of the welfare class that is not currently thinking about signing up, to join the rolls of the military. I would increase military pay for the grunt by 100%, taking that money from social programs.

[Protagoras]

Men were drafted into the military unless deferred, in the fifties.

It was wrong then too.

[Conservababe]

Wrong? An interesting word to use about the military draft. So you are not talking of what is necessary for our military readiness...but your moral objections to men being drafted for service.

[Protagoras]

To answer your question in the way that I perceive you want it answered would be to concede that we could not have military readiness without conscription.

The moral reasons stand on their own merit.

[nicko]

yeah, right...so said my wife about 20 years ago...

[SJackson]

Is having every high school graduate (or 18 year old) spend a year or two in the service of their country really a bad idea?

No, it's not.

What are they going to do (the military doesn't need them), what's it going to cost and who's paying for it?

[NathanR]

Somebody wants to go back to the glory days of the 60's. The main reason Viet Nam was opposed so strongly, was that it was fought mainly by draftees. The main reason the War on Terror is not, is because it is fought by volunteers.

This is a back door attack on the WOT. Only.

[Conservababe]

No, you are mistaken. The real objection was to the selevtive process ie the lottery and deferrments.

[NathanR]

There was very little objection to the draft, before draftees were being sent to fight and die in Viet Nam. There was some, but compared to what came later, it was just noise.

[Conservababe]

You are mistaken. There was much objection to the draft. But, men did not protest on the street. They merely got married in droves to avoid the draft. And when the marriage only deferrment was eliminated, they made sure they had children to qualify for deferrment.

The really visible protests to the draft began as Vietnam geared up and all deferrments, except college students, were eliminated.