All-volunteer military has created a red-state Army in the U.S.

The Salt Lake Tribune / The Washington Post ^ | December 15, 2008 | Danielle Allen

[2ndDivisionVet]

In Hopewell Township, N.J., the veterans of American Legion Post 339 have put their building up for sale. "Today's vets don't come out," 82-year old Jim Hall told The Times of Trenton last month. The post is down from 425 paying members in the 1960s and '70s to 202 this year; only about a dozen regularly attend.

But it's America that has changed, not vets.

Since 1970, the population of the United States has grown by about 50 percent, from roughly 200 million to 300 million. Over the same period, the number of active-duty armed forces has fallen approximately 50 percent, from 3 million to 1.4 million. A far smaller percentage of the citizenry now serves in the military.

Whereas in 1969 13 percent of Americans were veterans, in 2007 only 8 percent of us were.

Even more important than these general demographic shifts is the change wrought by the end of the draft in 1973. Until then, military service was distributed pretty evenly across regions. But that is no longer true. The residential patterns for current veterans and the patterns of state-level contributions of new recruits to the all-volunteer military have a distinct geographic tilt. And tellingly, the map of military service since 1973 aligns closely with electoral maps distinguishing red from blue states.

In 1969, the 10 states with the highest percentage of veterans were, in order: Wyoming, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut and Illinois.

In 2007, the 10 states with the highest percentage of post-Vietnam-era veterans were, in order: Alaska, Virginia, Hawaii, Washington, Wyoming, Maine, South Carolina, Montana, Maryland and Georgia.

Over the past four decades, which states have disappeared from the top 10? California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, all big_blue states that have voted Democratic in the past five_presidential elections.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Explains a lot.

[JamesP81]

All-volunteer military has created a red-state Army in the U.S.

Why do you think Obama needs his "Civilian National Security Force". The volunteer military will probably simply refuse to fire on civilians that refuse to follow the government's illegal dictats should it come to that.

[griswold3]

Clears up the discussion as to why ‘progressives’ want to bring back the draft.

[x_plus_one]

This is the unspoken reason why the dems will re-instate the draft. They want to make sure they have political control over the military when they deploy units in red states and throughout the less-populated areas.

Red state troops are less reliable when it comes to strong arming the public into giving up their guns and religion....

[DCBryan1]

THIS is probably why Obama wants a "Citizen Miliary Group" as powerful and as well funded as the DoD.

Just think of it...an internal army of young, brain-dead, minority, hyphenated, indoctrinated, secularist, "youts", who will do whatever the Messiah says.

Methinks Obama is gonna shove Communism down our throats and is going to need an army of zombies around him IOT stay in office to accomplish his destruction of America.

[mjp]

And tellingly, the map of military service since 1973 aligns closely with electoral maps distinguishing red from blue states.

Conservatives are the defenders of freedom, rights, capitalism which liberals hate.

[JamesP81]

Clears up the discussion as to why ‘progressives’ want to bring back the draft.

Yep. The 2nd Amendment might the last line of defense against tyrants, but the first is a volunteer military. And as long as it's a volunteer military, it's unlikely that the military could be used against American citizens. But if they ever re-institute the draft, that could change quickly.

[patriciaruth]

It’s Catch 22.

If you have a war and reinstate the draft, then the draftees and those afraid of the draft will make sure you end the war and lose the war.

If you have a war and don’t draft, then you don’t have enough soldiers to fight the war, and winning it becomes a difficult, gritty affair for the soldiers and a cause for loss of popularity for the President who insists on toughing it out to victory.

If you try to nip potential world wars in the bud, you face the situation above but end up with far fewer casualties.

If you wait till we’re attacked and people get behind fighting the enemy, you end up with 10 or 50 times the casualties, but the President goes down in history as a great man.

[GonzoGOP]

Why do you think Obama needs his "Civilian National Security Force". The volunteer military will probably simply refuse to fire on civilians that refuse to follow the government's illegal dictats should it come to that.

More likely they would just go over and join the rebels. Lets face it the military was less than respectful to Clinton, until he had placed his people in all the top spots. And he was no place near as bad as The One.

Also our current military has spend five long years learning the wrong and right ways to put down a rebellion in an urban setting. Every lesson learned about how to make and defeat IEDs can be applied to LA and Chicago as much as Baghdad and Basra. Obama will gut the military to ensure it doesn't turn on him when he tries to impose his Chavez style dictatorship.

/Tinfoil hat off.

[SFC Chromey]

In reality it is truly a BLUE STATE army.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=82973

This headline makes it sound like the Commies have the guns.

[Tallguy]

Even more important than these general demographic shifts is the change wrought by the end of the draft in 1973. Until then, military service was distributed pretty evenly across regions. But that is no longer true. The residential patterns for current veterans and the patterns of state-level contributions of new recruits to the all-volunteer military have a distinct geographic tilt. And tellingly, the map of military service since 1973 aligns closely with electoral maps distinguishing red from blue states.

Some random thoughts on this: 1. How much does the organized harassment of recruiters & disruption of recruiting efforts in "Blue States" play into this uneven distribution of servicemen? 2. I've noticed an increasing trend of veterans to 'retire' or seek civilian employment near one of their duty stations. Most of the remaining military bases are in the South.

[DCBryan1]

deploy units in red states and throughout the less-populated areas.

Been along time since I brought out my "blue helmet" target paper for the farm. Guess I'll pull them out this weekend and zero in. If I a "New Yawk" Civilian Security Force in my region (the ozarks)....ther is gonna be alot of "never been fired, only dropped once" guns on the ground.

[MrB]

The draft is a triple header victory for the left.

It forces people to serve time against their will (slavery).
It reduces the effectiveness of the military.
It reduces the public’s willingness to use the military for national interest.

[rightwingextremist1776]

The real truth is there are too many pussies in the Blue states to tip the scales.....

[ClearCase_guy]

It really makes one wonder, doesn't it?

I almost see a "Crossing the Rubicon" moment as Gen. Petraeus brings an armada across the Atlantic for a climactic showdown with Obama's Civilian Defense Force (principally made up of college students wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a marijuana leaf).

[DCBryan1]

Amen....we call them bullet magnets here in the South when ladies are present.

[El Laton Caliente]

From what I’ve read a while back, the division is even greater when it comes to actual combat troops vs. support units.

[JDoutrider]

Soooo...

The coming CW2 could result in a "Red State" Military v.s. The "Pinko" army... Can't wait to see the Zero's new uniforms!

[DCBryan1]

principally made up of college students wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a marijuana leaf Che ).

Fixed it.

[griswold3]

You are correct, Sir. That’s why I always call you ‘The Worldly Mr. B’!!

Merry Christmas!