Military Draft

Since Richard Nixon moved to end the draft in an attempt to buy the political time necessary to negotiate his way out of the Vietnam War, American presidents and congress have been willing to pay almost any price to avoid its reinstitution.

As George Washington well understood, a military carrying out a nation’s purpose must be a people’s military with its ranks reflecting a wide cross-section of the entire population. The American all-volunteer military demonstrated it did not during my years of service after Vietnam. My last year of active service, 1980, approximately 46 percent of Army recruits were high school dropouts with 40 percent reading at the fifth grade level.

Since my honorable discharge the military has raised it entrance requirements and rewritten its entrance examination. While dropouts are no longer recruited, military recruits from lower and working class families are still the norm, while the political power in the country still resides with the upper-class.

This is an altogether different military than that of the Vietnam era- on paper, a substantially more effective one. Each soldier now carries round the neck not only dog tags, but a plastic microchip containing his or her entire military record. Now commanders can track their soldiers and progress on computer monitors.

Much is made of reliance on reserves and National Guard units to meet manpower problems. Reservists cannot crew carrier task forces in the Pacific or forward-line combat units in Baghdad. The reserve and National Guard units could be called up to replace depleted units for rest and refitting, but would first have to be fitted and deployed from there home locations.

After four years of involvement in Iraq, the United States has used a majority of the active military resources and ha utilized a majority of their reserve and National Guard counterparts. According to law, National Guard unites can not be deployed more than one year out of five. With the commitment of 21,500 more troops to be deployed back to Iraq, President Bush is now on borrowed time, the peacetime draft must be reinstated. Pentagon officers dealing with or having had experience with combat arms acknowledge this, if only under their breath. President Carter had the courage to reinstitute draft registration, and President Reagan sought stiff punishments for draft-age men who refused to register.

A draft involving a year of service, as was the case with the 1941 peacetime draft, could be fairly implemented. It would have no exemptions or deferments except the traditional ones of hardship and sole support of dependents. There could be a form of alternative public service for conscientious objectors, also lasting one year. This would make possible a compulsory national service for women as well, one not involving combat arms.

The relatively short period of active duty would not be sufficient to train for highly technical jobs, but would certainly suffice for basic training and advanced infantry training and the attainment of some rudimentary technical skills. It would serve to create an expanded, self-replenishing backup pool of trained fighting men to be called on s the reserves are called up.

The risk of battle death should be shared by all, and not just the lower classes. To have all classes, including the best educated, serve in the military is healthy for the armed services, healthy for the citizenry, and healthy for the nation. If there had been 3125 plus killed in Iraq including the sons of powerful and prominent there would be a more swift and thorough reassessment of President Bush’s Iraq War Policy or lack there of.

Today while searching the net for military draft I found a new bill being proposed by Congressman Charles B. Rangel titled the Universal National
Service Act of 2007.

Universal National Service Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)
HR 393 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 393
To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the favorable treatment afforded combat pay under the earned income tax credit, and for other purposes.

SEC. 102. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION.

(a) Obligation for Service- It is the obligation of every citizen of the United States, and every other person residing in the United States, who is between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform a period of national service as prescribed in this title unless exempted under the provisions of this title.

(b) Forms of National Service- The national service obligation under this title shall be performed either--

(1) as a member of an active or reserve component of the uniformed services; or

(2) in a civilian capacity that, as determined by the President, promotes the national defense, including national or community service and service related to homeland security.

(c) Age Limits- A person may be inducted under this title only if the person has attained the age of 18 and has not attained the age of 42.

Considering that the Congress and Senate are arguing about our involvement in Iraq, it is strange that I have heard nothing about this legislation. Has anyone else heard of this?