Every Youngster Age 18-19 Should Be Required To Serve 3 Years In The Military

[Disir]

Pffft........propaganda is propaganda and it works just as well in the US.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Disir, you are wrong, and that's tough for you.

 

[the_human_being]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

It's a terrible idea.

The military we have today is volunteer. The members of our military have the fight in them. For whatever reasons, they want to do the job of defending our country.

Drafting people that are not geared for fighting is a death sentence. It's like trying to make a pizza delivery guy into a baseball pitcher. If you have no interest in it, you're going to be bad at it, and you will be terrible at it if you object to war, guns or the military.

Like our police officers and fire fighters, you have to have that desire in you.

Ummmm. I wonder how we won WW1 and WW2?

 

[JakeStarkey]

The US will not have that massive of an effort in the future because of technology, but the three years would be good training in all ways.

 

[U2Edge]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

I'll star first with the last part. There has been a military draft in the United States before. These times were 1863 through 1865 during the Civil War, 1917-1918 during World War I, and September 1, 1940 through June 30, 1973 covering the year before the United States entered World War II to just one month before Congress blocked all further participation by the United States in the Vietnam war with the Case Church Amendment in August 1973 with a veto proof majority effectively ending U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.

So out of the 225 years the United States has been in existence, it has had a draft for about 38 of those years. A total of 1,354,664 United States military personal have died in all U.S. wars combined. Of that total, 95% died during the 38 years when the United States had a draft, a total of 1,280,887 military personal.

So the idea that a MILITARY DRAFT makes U.S. lawmakers more cautious is clearly FALSE.

Military Service is the most honorable and noble profession in my opinion. On average it does make a citizen a better person in so many different ways. But that does not mean the United States should have a draft where all 18 year olds, male and female are required to serve for 3 years.

1. 4.4 million U.S. citizens turn 18 every year. If every one of them has to serve for 3 years, the size of the United States military would swell from its current 1.5 million to over 13 million just counting the draftees cycling through the service from age 18 at any given time. Then you would have to add in all the more career oriented military personal that run the military and with such a large number of draftees to train and handle, you have a total active military force of over 20 million!

2. Consider the fact that it only takes less than 300,000 volunteers every year to maintain the current active military force of 1.5 million. Now you want to add 4.1 million people to that? This would lead to a military force that is more than double the size of the one the United States had in World War II.

3. The current 1.5 million active military force plus the reserves cost $600 billion to equip, train, and pay every year. Imagine how much an active military force of over 20 million would cost? You could be talking about an annual $10 trillion price tab. You would have to triple taxes on everyone in order to pay for it and that is before paying for all the other non-military functions of government.

4. Studies have shown that the All Volunteer military has performed better than the draft/volunteer military. The all volunteer force is better educated, trained, and performs their jobs and task better. The size of the All Volunteer military has also usually proven adequate to handle the United States National Security needs. Sometimes it has been too small and the force has been severely strained by that, but the answer to that problem is to increase the size of the all volunteer military to the appropriate level, not to institute a draft.

5. In modern times, only in a rare and unusual situation would any form of a draft ever be required and such a draft would be limited by the economic and industrial capacity of the country.

 

[the_human_being]

Everyone complains about the high cost of a college or vocational training. Military service is an excellent vehicle for obtaining money for college or trade school as well as for a college education. One can enter military service, draw a paycheck, have room and board, learn a skill while serving and earn educational benefits to use when he gets out. It's really not a bad deal. I got my engineering degree via the G.I. Bill.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Stupid comment this: "Of that total, 95% died during the 38 years when the United States had a draft, a total of 1,280,887 military personal. So the idea that a MILITARY DRAFT makes U.S. lawmakers more cautious is clearly FALSE."

Those years included the three largest wars in which we participated, because of the technology and geography. To suggest that drafts lead to wars is simply not supported by the above earlier and silly comment.

At Bull Run in 1861 more Americans were hurt by other Americans than in any battle before. There was no draft. At Shiloh in 1862, more Americans were killed by other Americans in two days combined than since Jamestown. There was no draft.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

It's a terrible idea.

The military we have today is volunteer. The members of our military have the fight in them. For whatever reasons, they want to do the job of defending our country.

Drafting people that are not geared for fighting is a death sentence. It's like trying to make a pizza delivery guy into a baseball pitcher. If you have no interest in it, you're going to be bad at it, and you will be terrible at it if you object to war, guns or the military.

Like our police officers and fire fighters, you have to have that desire in you.

Ummmm. I wonder how we won WW1 and WW2?

Probably the draftees got killed and the real solders fought on. But I don't think it's a matter of winning or losing, it's a leftist political agenda to try and keep us out of wars no matter what the cost to this country, and using the lives of innocent people to accomplish that.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Should teach gun safety in high school

 

[SassyIrishLass]

Should teach gun safety in high school

We teach it at home, all but our youngest has been to the range

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Everyone complains about the high cost of a college or vocational training. Military service is an excellent vehicle for obtaining money for college or trade school as well as for a college education. One can enter military service, draw a paycheck, have room and board, learn a skill while serving and earn educational benefits to use when he gets out. It's really not a bad deal. I got my engineering degree via the G.I. Bill.

That is correct. I lost a few tenants because they had a one-time home loan they took advantage of when banks would not give them a loan.

A friend of mine had a brother that served 20 years. He got out at the age of 39 and had the rest of his life to do as he pleased. Got a great paycheck and worked part-time when he felt he was getting a little board. The military does have a lot to offer.

 

[bodecea]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

On paper and examples such as Switzerland and Israel, it's a good idea.....in real life, it would not work in a large country such as the USA with so man "entitled" people crying about their sons and daughters actually having to serve this country. And some of those little brats would harm rather than help our country. Seriously.

 

[JakeStarkey]

"it's a leftist political agenda to try and keep us out of wars" is another stupid comment. The draft is a smart strategy to co-opet all Americans into understanding what is foreign policy and its costs.

 

[the_human_being]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

It's a terrible idea.

The military we have today is volunteer. The members of our military have the fight in them. For whatever reasons, they want to do the job of defending our country.

Drafting people that are not geared for fighting is a death sentence. It's like trying to make a pizza delivery guy into a baseball pitcher. If you have no interest in it, you're going to be bad at it, and you will be terrible at it if you object to war, guns or the military.

Like our police officers and fire fighters, you have to have that desire in you.

Ummmm. I wonder how we won WW1 and WW2?

Probably the draftees got killed and the real solders fought on. But I don't think it's a matter of winning or losing, it's a leftist political agenda to try and keep us out of wars no matter what the cost to this country, and using the lives of innocent people to accomplish that.

Believe me friend, the blood of the draftee and the blood of the volunteer both run red on the battlefield. There is no difference at all.

 

[Correll]

The Democrat/PROGRESSIVE/commie party should push hard for that. go for it

Bullshit!

With chicken hawks like George Bush still around...how can you even think that? Bush was a draft dodger but still decided to remove Saddam Hussein, a man who had never harmed the U S , from power. The Bush family just didn't like him. He had attempted to assassinate George Herbert Walker Bush in 1993 and that was enough to boil over the Republican "REVENGE" equation. Not to worry....just cost 4500 young Americans their lives and got about 35,000 seriously wounded.

If Saddam never harmed the US, and it was just all about the Bush family, then why did Clinton have a policy of regime change?

Because your claim is nonsense.

 

[the_human_being]

Everyone complains about the high cost of a college or vocational training. Military service is an excellent vehicle for obtaining money for college or trade school as well as for a college education. One can enter military service, draw a paycheck, have room and board, learn a skill while serving and earn educational benefits to use when he gets out. It's really not a bad deal. I got my engineering degree via the G.I. Bill.

That is correct. I lost a few tenants because they had a one-time home loan they took advantage of when banks would not give them a loan.

A friend of mine had a brother that served 20 years. He got out at the age of 39 and had the rest of his life to do as he pleased. Got a great paycheck and worked part-time when he felt he was getting a little board. The military does have a lot to offer.

Indeed. I posted in another thread that my own family doctor got his medical schooling from his service time in Iraq. He's out now and in private practice but his wife is presently in service and in Galveston.

 

[U2Edge]

Stupid comment this: "Of that total, 95% died during the 38 years when the United States had a draft, a total of 1,280,887 military personal. So the idea that a MILITARY DRAFT makes U.S. lawmakers more cautious is clearly FALSE."

Those years included the three largest wars in which we participated, because of the technology and geography. To suggest that drafts lead to wars is simply not supported by the above earlier and silly comment.

At Bull Run in 1861 more Americans were hurt by other Americans than in any battle before. There was no draft. At Shiloh in 1862, more Americans were killed by other Americans in two days combined than since Jamestown. There was no draft.

Its not a stupid comment, its a fact! Notice I NEVER said that a draft makes the United States more likely to fight in wars, only that it does not make the country more cautious. That's simply a FACT based on the history. You could also use time spent at war during draft periods VS. time spent at war during non-draft periods.

I'll stated again because it is an irrefutable fact: 95% of all U.S. military personal to die in wars fought by the United States, died during the 38 years when the United States had a draft. Having a military draft DID NOT REDUCE THE LIKELY HOOD OF THE UNITED STATES ENGAGING IN WAR!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

The military service and training forms a basic structure for young citizens much better than E Mail and Texting. Video games are a no brainer.

Israel requires this of all their young men and women and they seem to turn out pretty well.

Also.....the bunch of chicken hawks in the congress would think twice if they were sending their own to some godforsaken desert or mountain range to get wounded or die.

It's a terrible idea.

The military we have today is volunteer. The members of our military have the fight in them. For whatever reasons, they want to do the job of defending our country.

Drafting people that are not geared for fighting is a death sentence. It's like trying to make a pizza delivery guy into a baseball pitcher. If you have no interest in it, you're going to be bad at it, and you will be terrible at it if you object to war, guns or the military.

Like our police officers and fire fighters, you have to have that desire in you.

Ummmm. I wonder how we won WW1 and WW2?

Probably the draftees got killed and the real solders fought on. But I don't think it's a matter of winning or losing, it's a leftist political agenda to try and keep us out of wars no matter what the cost to this country, and using the lives of innocent people to accomplish that.

Believe me friend, the blood of the draftee and the blood of the volunteer both run red on the battlefield. There is no difference at all.

Agreed, but the blood of the draftee is liable to be the first.

I think we all know people that are just not cut out for the military or any violent situation. We are all geared for different things in life. My nephew comes to mind. Great kid, never a problem maker, graduated college with a Masters. He is very intelligent and honest, but I would hate to see him forced to go into the military. It's just not in him. He would be one of the first not to make it, and even if he did, never be able to function properly in life again because of mental problems.

Plus the fact I doubt if you would want to see a war where your nephew is fighting next to mine who would be shooting at every noise he heard.

 

[Correll]

"it's a leftist political agenda to try and keep us out of wars" is another stupid comment. The draft is a smart strategy to co-opet all Americans into understanding what is foreign policy and its costs.

Your assumption that Americans who have not served don't care about the servicemen who do, is insulting and unsupported.

A conscript army would be far larger, vastly more expensive and less capable.

 

[Dan Daly]

Thou shalt not conscript my kids, grand-kids or anyone else into the military without their consent. I didn't do my time to condone slavery.