Would you like to see the Military Draft enacted again?

I volunteered for the Draft in 1960 so I could have a 2-year enlistment in the US Army, rather than enlist and serve for 3 years.

But with the good duty I had (Communications Center Technician), another year would have been OK.

HiDesertHal
 

I volunteered for the Draft in 1960 so I could have a 2-year enlistment in the US Army, rather than enlist and serve for 3 years.

But with the good duty I had (Communications Center Technician), another year would have been OK.

HiDesertHal
We had a draft because of our perpetual involvement in war. The 60's was an obvious rebellion against the draft and helped end the Viet Nam war. If we have another draft we will be using our youngest people. This population is not like the baby boom. Lots of people could be used. Many minorities were called up. We were considered an expendable generation. If we start drafting people it will mean we are in a war.
 
The all volunteer forces are much better, better attitudes, better motivation. If you force people to do something, it doesn't work out as well as if they want to do it. Human Nature 101.

Plus, the economy isn't booming, like in the 60s and 70s, so the military is an excellent job opportunity, no need to force a good job down the throat of someone who doesn't want it.
 

This is kind of a touchy subject with me. I don't like the idea of all of these entertainers and ballplayers making millions of dollars and have never served their country. No one says that they have to go to war, but I thought it was a privilege to serve. Of course, my Dad was career Army and retired as a Sgt. Maj. He was kind of pissed when I joined the Marines, but he soon got over it. I knew as soon as I left the Island that I was going to Vietnam. I had no problem with that because I had expected it. My first job was with a Calvary outfit as a door gunner on a modified Huey. I wanted to fly, but they told me that I was too tall at 6'4". I never heard of that one. After about two months over there, the Captain asked for volunteers to go into Recon. I didn't exactly know what that was, but I knew that I was tired of being shot at while in a helicopter flying over swampy land.

Overall, I felt that the service made me a better man and person. It gave me character and also some additional self esteem. I always felt good about myself, but knowing that you are with other guys and we are all depending on each other to protect one another, it came down to making me feel important because I had a very important job. I had to keep the man next to me alive as well as myself. It also taught me about being humble and looking out for one another. No man is so big that he can go it alone. The night that I got shot by a sniper and almost had my left arm blown off at the shoulder, I thought "this is it." I no sooner hit the ground when this little man in our unit who was our Medic was right there on me. He radioed for a Med Evac and about 15 minutes later, I was on the move to the U.S.S.Sanctuary.

Not that it ever will, but if it ever came down to a vote, I would vote...YES.
 
@oldman, I have to agree, the Army made me a better person and a better man as well. If there weren't a draft at the time, I am not sure if I would have enlisted as I did.

Entertainers and people with money and "position" will always get off light, the working class will always shoulder the majority of the burden.

At one time I thought that a mandatory conscription(like in Israel) would be good for America. However, having had first the grand-daughter enlist in the Marines, and serve in Afghanistan,

then now the younger grand-son in the Marines also, I think that having young people that want to serve is the winning ticket.
 
I think Every young person should be required to perform Some sort of Public Service...be it in the Military, or providing some State/Local community service. It is a privilege to be part of this country, and if everyone had to contribute Something perhaps we would see more Individual Responsibility, and less crime and welfare. I turned 18 near the beginning of the Vietnam War, and I could feel the draft board breathing down my neck. Being a devout coward, and not wanting to slog through the rice paddies of Vietnam, I joined the USAF, and had a great electronics education which put me on a path for a very good civilian career. I liked the AF so well, that I took an early discharge and re-up'd so I could stay longer in Germany, then spent the last year of my tour in Thailand...where I saw several planes and pilots who never made it back to base.
 
Don M., don't call yourself a coward, you didn't miss $h!t by not slogging through the rice paddies. Flying over the Nam was no picnic either.

Th military is a great place to get an education, I earned a living for 45 years with the skills that I got training for, in the Army.
 
If there was another time we needed 'persons' to fight a war, every able body over 18 would be considered for the draft. If for religious reasons, you elected not to fight, you would be inducted into Army/Navy in non combat roles and wherever needed; if in non combat areas, for the length of the war. Those would be the only exemptions allowed.
 
I haven't thought it all out, but, IMO, with the advent of modern technology; weapons, arms, ammo, vehicles etc.

We don't really need as many actual human bodies as we did before. A soldier (male or female) can sit back and remotely

KILL and/or damage many people/things by simply pushing a button.

Besides, with the modern generation's obsession with their favorite music (If you can't play it, make it LOUD!
Because of that, many of them are going deaf. The Navy can't find many new sonar operators anymore.

We really don't need many "Boots on the ground" these days.
 
The all volunteer forces are much better, better attitudes, better motivation. If you force people to do something, it doesn't work out as well as if they want to do it. Human Nature 101.

Plus, the economy isn't booming, like in the 60s and 70s, so the military is an excellent job opportunity, no need to force a good job down the throat of someone who doesn't want it.
I agree. I think if there were a draft today, there are many people, like gangsters who might benefit from national service. These people would have to be split up somehow because they would find a reason to shoot one another. They may try to start gangs in the military. This could be dangerous. Just get the poor and stupid enlisted, then all problems would be solved? Problem is that would be considered an unfair draft. And the educational levels would drop through the floor. Now days, even in the Army, people need some education.
 
If there was another time we needed 'persons' to fight a war, every able body over 18 would be considered for the draft. If for religious reasons, you elected not to fight, you would be inducted into Army/Navy in non combat roles and wherever needed; if in non combat areas, for the length of the war. Those would be the only exemptions allowed.
My point about the draft was satirical.
 
I haven't thought it all out, but, IMO, with the advent of modern technology; weapons, arms, ammo, vehicles etc.

We don't really need as many actual human bodies as we did before. A soldier (male or female) can sit back and remotely

KILL and/or damage many people/things by simply pushing a button.

Besides, with the modern generation's obsession with their favorite music (If you can't play it, make it LOUD!
Because of that, many of them are going deaf. The Navy can't find many new sonar operators anymore.

We really don't need many "Boots on the ground" these days.
How would you control a population of millions without people on the ground. Look at South Korea, We have a whole army there. We took over their country and now must protect them. Look at world history. It always takes an occupation army. If you do not occupy you give power to your enemy to attack again from the same place.
 
I'm on the same wavelength as Don. Reinstate the Selective Service. Every person who attains the age of 18 must serve 3 years in employ of the government before he/she reaches the age of 25. Leave the military still an all volunteer force. We don't need to fight ground wars anymore with wave after wave of soldiers. We have smart bombs and missiles and other technology to greatly reduce the number of required "boots on the ground". There are thousands of jobs that could be made available, saving our Country millions of dollars. Red Cross/FEMA type organizations that respond to disasters. Infrastructure maintenance and revitalization programs. Require Department of Defense contractors to hire a certain percent of their assembly line workers from the pool of "draftees". The use of those folks, however, could not simply add to the bottom line of the corporation. Costs to the taxpayer would need reduced relative to the number of draftees employed.
 
With the Leader of our country now,I am totally against them being able to reinstate the draft. My Husband served during the Viet Nam war and I would never want to see my grandchildren get drafted. It's funny because my husband had the same foot problem that Trump did,but my husband got drafted and Trump didn't. I guess if you have money you can even avoid the draft.
 
I guess if you have money you can even avoid the draft.

I think that is pretty much a given, and always has been.

A volunteer fully professional military is best IMO.
I have always been impressed by the service rendered by Queen Elizabeth's son Andrew in the Falklands War and Princes William and Harry in Afghanistan. If anyone could have avoided military service these men could but each was a determined volunteer.

I'm sure that some sons of rich men also do their bit but we don't hear about them.
We do hear when someone seems to be let off rather easily.

On another note - in this day and age it would seem unfair to draft young men but not young women.
At age 20 I was a mother. If I had been drafted into the army and my husband was not, and I had to leave home and my baby I would have gone insane with worry and grief. I would have made a very poor recruit.
 
I feel that the draft would probably never need to be enacted if we made a minimum of two years of active military service mandatory for all males with another mandatory minimum of two years of serving actively in the local Natl. Guard unit......we would always have a trained pool of soldiers to draw from when needed.

I did not wait to be drafted, at age seventeen (1967) I volunteered for the Army and then while assigned with the 518th Combat Engineers in Panama I volunteered for duty in Vietnam in late 1968.......I arrived in Vietnam Feb. '69' and stayed till June '70'.

I definitely feel that (for me) military service as well as serving in a combat zone made me a better man.
 
In the 1950s every young man knew he would sooner or later be drafted. Employers knew it too, and didn't want to hire kids who were right out of high school knowing that by time they were competent at their job they would be called. This was the unintended negative effect it had. I was 23 when my draft notice arrived.
 
I'm on the same wavelength as Don. Reinstate the Selective Service. Every person who attains the age of 18 must serve 3 years in employ of the government before he/she reaches the age of 25. Leave the military still an all volunteer force. We don't need to fight ground wars anymore with wave after wave of soldiers. We have smart bombs and missiles and other technology to greatly reduce the number of required "boots on the ground". There are thousands of jobs that could be made available, saving our Country millions of dollars. Red Cross/FEMA type organizations that respond to disasters. Infrastructure maintenance and revitalization programs. Require Department of Defense contractors to hire a certain percent of their assembly line workers from the pool of "draftees". The use of those folks, however, could not simply add to the bottom line of the corporation. Costs to the taxpayer would need reduced relative to the number of draftees employed.
If people are required to serve it is not voluntary. The youth of today are radically different from the youth of the 50's and 60's. Well intended as your suggestion is, why not create the progrmas we need to do infrastructure and the like. We could hire anyone and pay them a fair wage.
 
With the Leader of our country now,I am totally against them being able to reinstate the draft. My Husband served during the Viet Nam war and I would never want to see my grandchildren get drafted. It's funny because my husband had the same foot problem that Trump did,but my husband got drafted and Trump didn't. I guess if you have money you can even avoid the draft.
I have a granddaughter in the military. Her husband just went to Korea. I was in the Army for 6 years. I saw people coming back to the states from Nam with some pretty horrific stories. I was lucky, spent 6 years stateside. As soon as I heard I was going to be drafted I began to be afraid I would be killed or have to kill someone else. Then I remember being spit on while standing in uniform on a corner in Colorado Springs. Ever since Trump got elected I have feared he would start another war just based on his stupidity. Thank God he has some generals to advise him. But, even that might not be enough.
 
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I haven't thought it all out, but, IMO, with the advent of modern technology; weapons, arms, ammo, vehicles etc.

We don't really need as many actual human bodies as we did before. A soldier (male or female) can sit back and remotely

KILL and/or damage many people/things by simply pushing a button.

Besides, with the modern generation's obsession with their favorite music (If you can't play it, make it LOUD!
Because of that, many of them are going deaf. The Navy can't find many new sonar operators anymore.

We really don't need many "Boots on the ground" these days.

Probably just as well. In any case, the ''grunt'' era is just about over and done with. And...the attitudes of the younger generation have certainly changed...quite radically. That, also, has to be considered...
 
I have a granddaughter in the military. Her husband just went to Korea. I was in the Army for 6 years. I saw people coming back to the states from Nam with some pretty horrific stories. I was lucky, spent 6 years stateside. As soon as I heard I was going to be drafted I began to be afraid I would be killed or have to kill someone else. Then I remember being spit on while standing in uniform on a corner in Colorado Springs. Ever since Trump got elected I have feared he would start another war just based on his stupidity. Thank God he has some generals to advise him. But, even that might not be enough.

Yes, I have friends that have children in service and they too are afraid of what Trump will do...

As for the military draft, I agree with others that it is not needed....one thing that needs to be beefed up is the protection of 'the cyber world' as was evident in our last presidential election.....If we lose our right to vote we have nothing.
 
Probably just as well. In any case, the ''grunt'' era is just about over and done with. And...the attitudes of the younger generation have certainly changed...quite radically. That, also, has to be considered...
Here is one thing I have to disagree with. If a war occurs, unless it is a nuclear war which wipes out the opposing population, there must be "boots on the ground" to enforce the peace. We are trying to train the population of a country to take over, but how successful has that been in Iraq as an example? This is less effective since Russian and/or China steps to help the opposition like in Syria, or Viet Nam. It appears that we can no longer fight a war on behalf of anyone. The United Nations is suppose to be involved when a foreign rule is challenged. But how often has that been successful. A new solution has to be found that can counter a war but does not involve us in a war. Good luck on that one.
 
The reason I am for a draft is if massive needs for manpower were not met by volunteers. The problem I have with a fully volunteer service is the concept that when they were killed; well, they knew that when they signed on. When Americans were being killed in Iraq, that was not an uncommon sentiment, especially when pictures of flag draped coffins were not allowed in newspapers or on TV.
 


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