Do you think that the military will have another draft??

[Rosmo]

I have a bunch of my wife's family at the house this weekend and a couple of them are war vets and this subject came up. They think that a draft is inevitable but I really don't think so, atleast I hope not. Do you think that the American people would stand for another draft or do we even have a choice?

I for one hope that it never comes to that again. I have all the respect in the world for the men and women that server our country I just don't think its for me.

What say you?

 

[JEFF4i]

Doubt it.

I hope not as well for reasons I won't post.

 

[warbirdlover]

The last draft was in my "era" (Viet Nam) where thousands of fine young men (mostly then) lost their lives for absolutely NOTHING GAINED and my own feeling is if they ever tried to start another draft for these bullshit wars we constantly are fighting there would be a major riot in this country. Draft was needed for the "real" war of WWII but the Koreas, Viet Nams and others should not have been required wars to die in. My 2 cents. And I have nothing but respect and thanks to those that did fight in Korea and Viet Nam etc. They did not take the easy way out like some (running off to Canada, Mexico etc) or faking medical problems.

 

[JEFF4i]

And I have nothing but respect and thanks to those that did fight in Korea and Viet Nam etc. They did not take the easy way out like some (running off to Canada, Mexico etc) or faking medical problems.

Definately, I've got so much respect for the guys that did it.

The shame of the matter is that an addiction to golf isn't a viable medical problem.

Seriously though, I think it would cause too much social disrest within America if another came up.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I grew up as an Army Brat, and was very close to signing up in college and even fulfilled all of the requirements through ROTC outside of signing up and taking the labs.

For what it's worth, I think there is a long way to go before you see the military resort to the Selective Service. We still have a pretty sizable Reserve program. I think a big influence you currently hear is due to the media, and without wanting to get into politics, I think it is spurred by election time. You will likely hear this every 2 years, for as long as we have troops in harms way.

Should it come to reenacting the Selective Service, I can only say the younger generation has my support, although I feel it is highly unlikely. This is certainly something that should be taken into consideration in respecting the people that currently serve. It can certainly happen to anyone, and they did so by their own free will, possibly preventing the worst fear of many. For this they deserve my utmost respect.

 

[Slingblade61]

FYI.....this is a political(ish) post. I'll allow it for now but the second it spins out of control, it's gone.

 

[JEFF4i]

Thanks Sling. I'm a Political Science Major(Actually Pre-law) but I just can't stand politics for the most part with friends and family, it just creates divides.

 

[Slingblade61]

no kidding....?

 

[twogreen]

As an Army retiree, I have some strong feelings about the draft. During my 28 years of service, I had the opportunity to serve during the draft years as well as those years when we had an all volunteer Army.

There is little doubt in my mind that the attitude of recruits was better during the all volunteer phase. However, I am not convinced that the overall quality of the soldier was as good as when we had the draft. A high percentage of the volunteer Army was made up of recent high school grads and high school dropouts. This was happening during the same period that military weapons systems, navigational aids, and general war fighting techniques were undergoing significant technological advances. Thus, the learning curve for the new recruits was very steep.

Obviously, we had those same people in the training base during the draft; but we also had a significant number of people who had attended college. Some were college graduates...some were college dropouts. By and large, those that entered from the higher levels of education were easier to train and tended to rise to higher levels quicker than those with less education. As with every thing else, there were exceptions from both groups. This is where the "attitude" that I mentioned above entered into the picture.

Maintaining the all volunteer Army is going to get tougher and tougher so long as the U.S. remains involved in world wide conflicts. I played golf with two young soldiers from Fort Benning this past week. Each of them has been in the Army for 6 years...and each of them have already served 3 years in Iraq. I would think that repeated twelve month rotations into and out of a combat zone will ultimately cause many of our volunteer soldiers to seek out a different occupation when their initial obligation is fulfilled. It is not only hard on the soldier...it is also hard on his family.

IMO, the real problem is the manning levels of our current force structure.
Without getting into a political discussion, I would remind you that significant downsizing of the military forces took place during the previous administration. Simply put, if you need X number of boots on the ground in a combat zone, the same boots will have to go there more often when you have a smaller number of boots from which to choose. This creates a real horror story for our Reservists. Imagine a situation in which you have to maintain a civilian job while being deployed overseas every 12-18 months. Imagine what this does for your chances for advancement in the civilian workplace. It is unfair to the soldier...it is unfair to the employer...and it is certainly unfair to the families that have to live under these conditions.

I guess my bottom line is that I would support the draft only so long as it was used to raise force structure back to viable levels.

I apologize for the length of this diatribe; but the military is still an important part of my life...even though I'm to damned old to actively participate.

 

[Sandpiper3]

Even if they did, they wouldnt get near as many numbers as they need, because people in general are spoiled morons who think they have more rights then they do, and theyll make tons of (cant remember word, rallies like hippies did because they didnt wana do things... brain fart...) because they dont feel "they have to".

People think theyre special, but they really arent... people like that need a reality check.

 

[warbirdlover]

twogreen,

Excellent post and I picked up some good info I never thought about before regarding the downsized military forcing the longer tours in combat for those in it. My daughter and her husband are both West Point graduates and were at the top of their class. Both work for GM now. My son-in-law is in the reserves and was called for a year active duty in Afghanistan and came back for a year. Like you said, he was then called up for a year in Iraq. He won't be called back to active for a few years now and is a Major but it was extremely hard on my daughter working an engineering job and raising two boys besides, two out of three years. Running the family as it were.

My daughters, Connie (horse lover), Robin (West Pointer) and Heather (Soph in college).

 

[SiberianDVM]

Good post, twogreen.

I was a draftee who went into the National Guard as Viet Nam was winding down. I have to admit that my attitude and motivation was not the best at that time. I admire the people who were really mature at 18; I wasn't.

After 9/11, like a lot of older guys, I tried to rejoin, figuring my specialized education would be of some use. The Army didn't think so, so I ended up joining the Georgia State Defense Force, where I'm happy to make some small contribution. The Army did recall some older veterinarians, including one who was killed 3 months ago by a IED.

Back to the draft question: it will never happen as long as the conflict stays at this level. Only if we were attacked again with a WMD, and it could happen, would the politicians have the support to pass a draft law. And if that were the case, I think the military would be inundated with volunteers.

Americans will always volunteer to fight when we are attacked.

 

[Slingblade61]

After 9/11, like a lot of older guys, I tried to rejoin

HA! I did the same thing!.....SeaBees.

I figured that since I have all this construction experience I could cut some kind of deal.....Officer or Master Chief at the very least....the Navy did not agree.

 

[JEFF4i]

Even if they did, they wouldnt get near as many numbers as they need, because people in general are spoiled morons who think they have more rights then they do, and theyll make tons of (cant remember word, rallies like hippies did because they didnt wana do things... brain fart...) because they dont feel "they have to".

People think theyre special, but they really arent... people like that need a reality check.

Piper, ever had a gun pointed at you with the intent to kill you? Not the best life, and something I can understand a lot of people wouldn't want.

This is a very dangerous post Piper, and I thank God every day that people go out there and live in Hell so I don't have to, but you must understand my apprehension towards attitudes of the uneducated. Frankly speaking, the only ones who are educated are those who have lived it, and those who don't want to.

^ See? This is why I hate politics, it gets me grumpy at people I like.