The Military Draft and You (or someone you may know)...?

Just so you can sleep at night. Wouldn't want talking the talk without walking the walk to bug you.

No, I wont. We done now? Your opinion means nothing to me.

Who Signs Up to Fight? Makeup of U.S. Recruits Shows Glaring Disparity
But, it's not quite the disparity you may think

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/us/military-enlistment.html

More and more, new recruits are the children of old recruits. In 2019, 79 percent of Army recruits reported having a family member who served. For nearly 30 percent, it was a parent — a striking point in a nation where less than 1 percent of the population serves in the military.

For years, military leaders have been sounding the alarm over the growing gulf between communities that serve and those that do not, warning that relying on a small number of counties that reliably produce soldiers is unsustainable, particularly now amid escalating tensions with Iran.

“A widening military-civilian divide increasingly impacts our ability to effectively recruit and sustain the force,” Anthony M. Kurta, acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service last year. “This disconnect is characterized by misperceptions, a lack of knowledge and an inability to identify with those who serve. It threatens our ability to recruit the number of quality youth with the needed skill sets to maintain our advantage.”

To be sure, the idea of joining the military has lost much of its luster in nearly two decades of grinding war. The patriotic rush to enlist after the terrorist attacks of 2001 has faded. For a generation, enlisting has produced reliable hardship for troops and families, but nothing that resembles victory. But the military families who have borne nearly all of the burden, and are the most cleareyed about the risks of war, are still the Americans who are most likely to encourage their sons and daughters to join.


"The rhetoric about a bad economy driving poor people to enlist kind of misses the point; it's the middle of the income spectrum that has a disproportionate share of military service. My worry is less about the poor being driven en masse to recruiters and more about the appearance of a hereditary military caste." (thanks to Recursion at another site)

I'm all for mandatory two year service in the military or three years in some other civilian service with a college education as a benefit. The only deferment would be for education with service to follow.

Whenever you stop.

I've tried to encourage both my kids to enlist. Nothing wrong with a military career, and there is also no shame in not enlisting. Neither gives one any more or less ability to form an opinion or discuss such.

Trying to shame someone for not enlisting is pretty dirty though.

Shaming the tRumps and all other hypocrites is totally allowable.

I DO NOT shame them for not signing up: let's face it, the military most certainly is NOT for everyone.

I do shame the drum bangers for war who blithely send my kids and yours to stupid wars while having no skin in the game.

I'm sorry you didn't catch the difference.

And thank-you for your service, you definitely paid a price.

Shame who ever it was who gave you a thumbs down. You actually paid for your right to have a free opinion with your blood.

I was fortunate - not a scratch.

Since the subject here is actually compulsory military service: during my time (1969/70) looked down scornfully on the enlisted comrades or even sang mocking songs. 649 days and no day longer was our motto (the days were cut of from a measuring tape).
Due to whatever the reason was, I had to do 18 more month in the (alarm) reserve ... and to convince nearly everyone over the years that I was a conscript, even with my rank (petty officer first class).

Thanks for your service, obviously you did good service in spite of wanting to be somewhere else.

If its any consolation we made fun of you "2x4"s, too!

1. Nobody is going to disagree with you on that point.

2. But, when someone (disrespects) the service of people who served honorably, that is bad.

Let's get this straight I did not say I was for war so do not imply I did. That is how lies start. I said appeasement is not the answer. They will never respect us, but they respect power.

What do you think he is doing? Disrespecting people for not doing what he did. Are his posts respectful? He might not know what the word means.

Interesting Walter. I was compulsory (drafted) also. In fact, I volunteered for the draft. Why? I had just dropped out of college. I got advice and it was what I figured. My name went to the top of the list. No matter what I did, I would be drafted including going back to school.

There was one person in my draft "class" who a bad motorcycle accident and had to drop out of college. He was able to get back into school the next semester in good standing but still got drafted.

I also went the draft route because I didn't want any delays and the shortest time possible in service. Everywhere I went, the 1st thing they wanted was for me to drop out, re-up and become an officer, a door gunner, work for the CIA, etc.; but, to spend more time in service.

I got a Sgt E-5 while in Vietnam. When I came back to the states I became an Assistant Battalion Supply Sgt for my last 5 1/2 months in service. In my last week I was offered an E-6 to re-up. Even though that is a rare thing, E-6 in less than 2 years in service, it meant more time. No way was I gonna spend more time in service in my last week.

Gimme my papers, I'm gone!

My exact quote was:

But, when someone (disrespects) the service of people who served honorably, that is bad.


Please pay special attention to what I underlined in bold print.
What I have underlined in bold print is the very core of my argument.

You are right, but I do not see him as honorable. I think he is dishonest.

Cognitive dissonance.

"I did not say I was for war" but "but they respect power": and how will you project that "power"?

Are you for projecting that power?

That's an odd stance when "they" moved closer to peace when the Obama administration negotiated with "them".

Trumps "projection of power" has failed miserably.

The them is just like us.

That's way over cj's head. Watch for dumb, childish response!

Who's this "he" you speak of. We talk nicely and discuss, and then the name calling rears its ugly head.

Unfortunately, its arrived.