A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
I tend to agree:
By Edward Bernard Glick
PORTLAND, ORE. – The United States military has a very big problem: Too many global conflicts and commitments – and too few soldiers.That’s why it’s time to reinstate the draft. A draft would do more than just harness the energy and idealism of the nation’s youth to meet the military’s unmet personnel needs. It would also tap more of the resources of the nation’s women, heeding their demands for more gender equality by making their obligations more consonant with their rights.
It would give the federal government more flexibility in dealing with conscientious objectors. And it would be fairer to African-Americans and other minorities, who might stop viewing military service as just another job choice.
Here’s how the new draft should work:
Read the rest HERE.
There is one other change I think the government should make immediately. By law, only male citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register for Selective Service. The law should require all women aged 18-25 to do the same. I find it interesting that there are calls all over the world to open more military jobs to women while no voices are raised over the selective service system. Just my two cents.
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Lauren
If it does come to this I hope that all the draft dodgers that leave the country are not allowed back in…
Patriot
Or at least not allowed to become President.
Miriam
Not that I wouldn’t want to join in defending America, but are you sure you really want that many women in the military? (Forget about the equal rights stuff. That’s bogus.) I find that the men in my life get rather distracted when I’m in danger, even if I care nothing for the danger myself.
In fact, there is one man who might flip out if he really understood what danger simply my name can put me in. That video by the former terrorists made me do a reassessment. You see, there are certain people who mistake me for an Arab, that is unless they have looked into my blue eyes. I would support the war in Iraq anywhere and have weathered insults & assaults, so I’m not overly concerned about firebombs. However, my appartment manager would be seriously t-ed off if someone tried. There isn’t a large Muslim community here, so it’s not a serious possibility right now. That may change later, however.
Any hoo, back to my question. Americans are safer because of our brave fighting men, and I am grateful for it…the more because I know what it would be like without you guys. And I believe us women should do everything we can to support you and help preserve the freedom we all hold dear. The question is not what we could bare, but how much danger to you want us in, realistically?
Terri
I’ve always felt that women should be required to register for the draft just as men are. Of course, most of the jobs I’ve held in my lifetime are ones that are considered traditiionally “male” jobs and I’ve been able to perform my duties just as well as my male counterpart and in some instances even better. I agree with Lauren and Patriot on the requirements they’ve stated should be in place as well. Todays woman is typically more physically fit and able to perform the duties that would be required of them. Sure there are always those women who wouldn’t do well in this type of situation, but in the same way, there are always some men who can’t or don’t do well in the situation either….. Just my thoughts.
CJ
Miriam, personally I wouldn’t want any women in the military. But, not for the fact that I don’t want women in the military. For the reasons you just made. Thankfully, I never had to bear the site of dead fellow female soldier. I’m sure that I would take it a lot harder than I did my male counterparts, which was hard enough.
With that said, if a woman WANTS in the military, I fully support them being able to do whatever they want as long as they can meet the pre-established standards. I hope this doesn’t make me sound like a bigot or something and I made my point clear.
As for you being mistaken for a Muslim or Arab, you just tell me who’s giving you grief and we’ll take care of that!
mj
As long as they’re meeting the same standards as men, women should be able to serve, and they’ve shown they are capable of battlefield feats in this war. This should be on a volunteer basis. They’ve earned medals and shown that even when you’re “support” you face frontline dangers.
I can’t help but remember Lori Pscitewa (?) who was killed in the incident with Jessica Finch. She was a single mother, and left two small children without a parent. There’s just something wrong with using women who still have small children to serve in a dangerous environment. Yes, they are volunteers, but as we do now, efforts should be made to keep single parents, who would orphan their children should they be killed, out of combat.
The whole force benefits from being all-volunteer. A draft would introduce the element of unwilling participants, and open up questions of class equity, ability to evade for the rich, and how women would be used. Would they really be of true military utility if women were also drafted, or would this be just a fun social experiment?
I can also see heartbreaking media events as women are forced to leave their crying children because they were drafted. It’s just asking for trouble.
Miriam
I appreciate that, CJ. I’ll let you know if I get any threats here. I have been accustomed to “watching my 6″ as you say since I was a child. If it wasn’t for one reason, than it was for something else. It was a Pakistani friend in college that explained to me my name problem, which explained a few incidents from when I was growing up. As I said, you guys make things safer here in America. But I don’t think I’ll move to Dearborn, MI.
I certainly appreciate being treated like a responsible adult and not a child. But “equal rights” has gotten to the point that people want to ignore the differences between men and women, which is as I say, bogus and counterproductive. Anyone who thinks American women in the past were weeklings are kidding themselves (plowed a field lately?). And I care not a fig for “traditional male jobs”.
Anthony
The one thing that I agree with Don Rumsfeld on is the benefits of an all volunteer military. Military jobs are too important to have a bunch of disgruntled people doing the jobs only because they were forced to. I always read that soldiers fight because of their fellow soldiers, whom they don’t want to let down; would you feel as comfortable next to someone who was drafted and does not want to be there fighting with his fellow soldiers? Also, we hear a lot about the training that soldiers require because of all the high-tech equipment they use – should we invest 2 years training a soldier who would get out of the service as soon as his draftee requirement is over, probably right after the training is done?
That being said, I do think the military needs to be bigger (even though Rumsfeld refuses to even entertain that idea unless it is forced down his throat). That expansion should come by way of paying soldiers what they deserve, and fostering an attitude that would encourage service. I keep going back to right after 9-11, when everyone all over America was asking what they could do, and the President said just get on with your lives, travel, and spend money. When asked if the military would need to be expanded, he and Rumsfeld insisted that was not necessary and to just leave it all to them. Where was the challenge to serve the country? Where was the challenge to do something about our dependence on fossil fuels, which funds so much of the terrorism. In the 1960′s, President Kennedy didn’t want the Soviets to be first to the moon, and he issued a challenge which American people met. Presdient Bush should have issued a similar challenge to be off of the dependence on foreign oil by the end of the decade. That might have inspired students to turn their attention toward the sciences instead of business and law. That would have constituted more useful service than collecting trash in poverty neighborhoods while residents of those neighborhoods sit back and watch. Instead, President Bush has kept up a dual facade for 5 years, telling us that we should always be scared, but also that the federal government has everything under control.
As far as women in the military, I tend to agree with what CJ wrote.
Regarding the non-military service, what the writer described sounds like a massive welfare program, further enabling people who are not productive members of society by forcing young people to provide services to them. Seems like this service would end up costing taxpayers a lot. All these citizens would be on the federal payroll for the time of their service. Is that something we really want to pay for? My taxes are alread high enough.
concretebob
OK, I have to weigh in here, because I am a product of the 60′s when we had a draft. and while I volunteered for the Marine Corps in 1967, I could have, and most surely would have, been drafted into the Army if I hadn’t.
I have to emphatically respond with a NO to a draft, no matter how it’s served up.
The reason for this is simple.
It keeps the malcontents and disruptors out…only those who really want to serve are joining.
We have enough problems as it is. I have nightmares about the 60′s, and the crap that went on, and I do not want to repeat those events in this day and age.
Just the opinion of an old Marine.
Jess Dawn
Well CJ I never knew that you felt like that about women in the military. I understand your point, but until that type of thought process is changed we will have problems with female soldiers being able to do their job successfully. I was in Al-Kiffil less than 2 hours after our infantry guys got the area “secure”. (No slam on the infantry, but when in Iraq secure means something a little different than safe) My job was hindered because I was out there with some CAV Scouts and they were more worried about me than their lanes of fire. If you ask me that put me in a lot more danger than if they could have just thought of me as a soldier.
As for the draft issue, I just can not come to a decision on that. On one hand I would not have wanted to be in the same unit as men and women that did not want to be there. We already had enough people complaining about too many things. On the other hand, in my family service in the military or any type of civil service was something we felt we had to do to pay back for all of the freedoms that we were granted. Or even to earn our citizenship. The only thing that makes me sway more toward not having a conscript service is that my father would always tell me, “You fight and serve so others do not have to. You give them their rights.”
He would tell me this when ever I got really discouraged about people taking their rights for granted.
I think everyone one has great points, and I am glad Solder’s Perspective is still up and running. Good job everyone!
CJ
Jess, I hope I made my point clear that I have no problem with women in the military. I”ve made many arguments about how EVERY branch should be open to them. You know full well that I think you are one of the best soldiers, male or female, I’ve ever worked with.
I think what I was trying to say is that if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want women in the military ONLY because I hold women in such an esteemed light. As a Christian, I believe that women are held in a higher position by being the only sex able to bear children and give life. That’s an honor. I still don’t think I’m speaking very clearly on the issue, but since you know me personally, you know that my comments aren’t meant to be sexist.
Sue
Patriot, I have to disagree with you on this one. The draft would not solve any problems. Concrete Bob is right. You DO NOT want to go there again. I’m guessing you aren’t old enough to remember the 60′s. Because if you did, you would know that this country is still bleeding from the wounds that it caused. I personally don’t ever want to see any of you go through that kind of hatred again. What’s out there now is bad enough.
I agree with Anthony, that what we SHOULD be doing is paying those people who hold the TRULY important jobs in this country the big bucks. Soldiers, Firemen, Policemen, Teachers. The people who sacrifice themselves on a daily basis, and hold our futures in their hands. Not the Hollywood trollups and dope fiends who do nothing but run their filthy mouths and denegrate our military and our country, just because they feel entitled to hide behind the Constitution that YOU fight to uphold.
Women in the military do have their place. The woman who want to serve, should be allowed to hold any position they are qualified for by the normed standards, not “girlie” standards. But women do not belong on a battlefield as a rule. They are a distraction for the men. Men are raised to look out for women as the so called “weaker” sex and protect them at all costs. This is not the way a man in a fire fight should be thinking. No matter how masculine she tries to be to fit in with the boys, she IS STILL a woman. Then of course you have the obvious logistic problems.
But that said, I think the main reason not to reinstate the draft, is that this country simply could not withstand a second round of the 60′s. There was nothing glamorous, glorious, or even mildly patriotic about the time when young men were forced into indentured servitude and were dying in horrifying numbers. The black and white images of men on stretchers and in body bags being airlifted from that hell hole will haunt me forever.
I am all for a program of manditory service to our country in some fashion though. Most young people don’t know what it feels like to volunteer for something, to work and serve others with out thinking of what’s in it for me. Perhaps working in a literacy program for a year or two. Serving with Native American Children or families to better themselves. Habitat for humanity. Any thing. Some thing. This country has a great many problems that could be solved if we all just worked together. But sadly it’s a me me me world that we live in and only a precious few, like CJ, Patriot, and Cpl M are selfless enough to care for ALL of us. I for one, Thank you. But there has to be a better way.
Bob the Liberal
Why shouldn’t women be side by side with the men?
Look at Israel. Women fight side by side with men in the IDF, and there aren’t any real problems. And nobody beats the IDF. Ever. They are some of the best troops in the world.
CJ, believe me, I completely understand your position, and to an extent, I agree with it. But if a woman wants to join and fight, they should let her. Its her decision, and nobody else’s.
CJ
Bob, I completely agree with you. I’ve been reamed many times here for my position on allowing women to serve wherever, as long as the standard isn’t lowered to achieve that.
The former soldier of mine who posted above, Jess, is a perfect example of why we NEED women in the military. She never once wanted preferential treatment and performed better than any other male interrogator I knew. If I could choose anyone by my side, she would be my first string.
I guess I’m just confused on my exact position on the matter. I just want it both ways and that’s not possible. It’s definitely a mindset that I need to change as a male.
A long time ago, when I was a Spanish Linguist, I had another great female soldier named Anne Kilman who was awesome (when she wasn’t destroying my trucks…inside joke). With only one exception, all the women I’ve worked with were awesome.
Jess Dawn
CJ,
I completely understand what you wrote and by no means was I upset or offended. Tone is very hard to convey through typed words. I just never knew that you felt that particular way.
Miriam
CJ, I don’t think you should have to feel confused. To me, it isn’t about how good a job a woman can do or how tough she can be. Heck, my grandmother survived Japanese concentration camp after contracting berry-berry (sp?) and lived with the effects for some 60 years after that. She could go toe to toe with any drill sergeant (even though I don’t think she ever reached 5 ft).
It’s really about the male instinct to protect women and children regardless of wheather or not they want protecting. And I don’t think you could rip it out without destroying part of yourself. Even my consientious objector father couldn’t do it. “Yah, Dad, a strong tongue lashing will really make that guy leave me alone.”
Ok, so his methods weren’t so practical, but the desire was still there. In my view, that desire isn’t some caveman habit to be bashed to bits, but a precious gift worth defending. And defend it I will. (Now where did I put my sword? I need to polish up on it.
:0 )
William
I say no draft. If your country is worth fighting for, you will do what is required… I am proud of my years in the Army and would do it again if my ankles could take it. As much as I would love to see the Youth of today get some old school lessons in manners and respect. I would not want to teach them Urban Warfare on a squad or platoon level…
CJ
You’ve all convinced me to change my view on the draft. Call me a flipflopper, but I agree that it’s not a viable option. Thanks for the education.
tad rosewood
What this article calls for is right out of the Communist playbook, right out of the Communist Manifesto, to be exact. This is not at all in keeping with our heritage of liberty.
Read this scathing editorial in response:
http://www.moreliberty.org/more_liberty/2006/09/reinstate_the_d.html
White Rose
I AGREE! Women should be included in the draft. I am all for equal rights, but we also have to take the responceabilities! I am a woman and I love my Country just as much as any man. Heck, that is part of the reason I went to Iraq as a civilian contractor truck driver.
Cindy