Posted on 06/02/2008 7:53:38 AM PDT by Doctor13
So many easily forget, that almost 18,000 draftees gave their lives fighting in Vietnam.
Saying a draft isn't a good model to staff the US Military under the current circumstances should not be construed as a slight on the honor of anyone in the past who served this country as a draftee.
But that is what you implied. What current circumstances? Many commanders have called for more troops to alleviate multiple tours etc. It's not a secret our military is spread too thin.
Frankly, some of the ugly and nasty rhetoric that have been displayed on this forum is what I usually hear coming out of the mouths of mean-spirited Democrats.
The author thought it was worthy of an intelligent discussion, not snide remarks. My thanks to the many who gave their honest opinions of why the draft was not a good idea. More thanks to those who suggested alternate solutions, not just negativity.
I don't know what has happened to our country to see so many who would rather see the other guy fight for our freedoms. Yes, we do live in a different world today, unfortunately - one of me, me, me, is more what it sounds like. Let the other guy do the fighting. I find this very sad. In the past, many didn't want to be drafted, but did their duty when called.
"The Institute of Medicine's report Gulf War and Health reported, "Suicide among active-duty soldiers has reached its all-time high since 1980, when the Army began tracking soldier suicide rates. Up to an alarming 17.5 suicides per 100,000 soldiers in 2007, this figure has almost doubled since its lowest recorded level of 9.1 per 100,000 six years ago.
"Upon their return from war, many soldiers face mental, emotional, and social issues that can manifest as alcoholism, depression, marital problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders. Most recently, suicide attempts have increased as an obvious effect of deployment-related stress.
Perhaps the draft is not the solution; perhaps CMS as some have suggested, but it just doesn't seem fair for these young and brave soldiers to continue to do all the fighting while the rest sit here and post on Free Republic how they, who volunteer, know what they were getting into.
But did they?
I go back to:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill, English economist & philosopher (1806-1873)
Neither do most veterans, such as myself...
the infowarrior
But that is what you implied.
Nope. Didn't imply it. You incorrectly assumed it.
Our current forces in these active theaters are highly technical operators - they can bring down deadly force, but can also show compassion, including the strength to build something better in the face of those who seek to breed chaos. This skill mix is highly demanding and able to be brought to bear only by those who are highly motivated and believe in what they are doing. In this environment, adding personnel who have been drafted and may or may not be of like mind would only serve to hamper the momentum of their efforts.
Hogwash. No different than Vietnam, where many of the techniques used then, are being used now in Iraq.
Yeah, poll active duty personnel and see if they want draftees working along side them.
So many easily forget, that almost 18,000 draftees gave their lives fighting in Vietnam.
Those that fought in Vietnam, be it draftees or those that enlisted, were every bit as trained and proficient soldiers for the day, including being very proficient with the technology used back in that war.
This war in Iraq is more of a compassionate police action compared to Vietnam, with a much less capable enemy.
Didn’t the Russians kill a million or two Afghans back in the ‘80s? All it did was to galvanize support in favor of the rebels.
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