As a Soldier, I have spent the best part of a decade constantly striving to be a better and more professional Soldier. I have, throughout this time been surrounded by those like myself.
For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in un...
For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in un...
As a Soldier, I have spent the best part of a decade constantly striving to be a better and more professional Soldier. I have, throughout this time been surrounded by those like myself.
For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in uniform. And the military IS the sort of place where "one bad apple" can have a VERY detrimental impact.
Hitler.......Hitler, or another like him is a fine reason to have a draft.
"Diversity" is not.
We are already about as diverse as it gets. We are people from ALL walks of life, religions, ethnicities, backgrounds, philosophies, and points of the compass.
So for every left handed Eskimo put into service for the sake of diversity that made a great Soldier, we would wind up with 20 who didn't want to be there.
And if they don't want to be here, then I don't want them here either.
-Doc J
"Steel Medic One"
Fires Sqadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment
(more)For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in uniform. And the military IS the sort of place where "one bad apple" can have a VERY detrimental impact.
Hitler.......Hitler, or another like him is a fine reason to have a draft.
"Diversity" is not.
We are already about as diverse as it gets. We are people from ALL walks of life, religions, ethnicities, backgrounds, philosophies, and points of the compass.
So for every left handed Eskimo put into service for the sake of diversity that made a great Soldier, we would wind up with 20 who didn't want to be there.
And if they don't want to be here, then I don't want them here either.
-Doc J
"Steel Medic One"
Fires Sqadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment
But if we are talking purely a military draft then I concur with Ishmael's response - the American quest for full spectrum dominance is failing and the empire is crumbling, every American conflict since WW2 has been by manipulation and choice not need, Korea may be the exception.
Another issue that I find disturbing over that last decade or so is the rise of private military contractors who receive salaries usually much in excess of our troops, currently I think the number in roughly...
But if we are talking purely a military draft then I concur with Ishmael's response - the American quest for full spectrum dominance is failing and the empire is crumbling, every American conflict since WW2 has been by manipulation and choice not need, Korea may be the exception.
Another issue that I find disturbing over that last decade or so is the rise of private military contractors who receive salaries usually much in excess of our troops, currently I think the number in roughly 2:1 contractors to GI's, this is another place I see a national service functioning, could you imagine how vicious the likes of Dyncorp or Haliburton would lobby against something like this, huge saving to be realized here.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/...
For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in un...
For most of us, Soldiering is more than just a job where you get to play with automatic weapons in other countries now and then.
It is a way of life.
We take comfort, in when looking to our left and right, we see others with that same level of commitment. (the fakes weed themselves out)
That male or female is here just as I, because they walked into a recruiter's office and said "This is what I WANT to do." Even with the expressed and implied risks.
I'm sorry, but with deepest respect for the draftee armies that have served with distinction and nobility in the past, a draft would reduce my confidence in those around me.
I'm a professional, I want professionals around me.
For me it's less about the concept of a draft itself, and more a "no confidence" vote on the caliber of people we would end up putting in the ranks as a result.
To be fair, there are some great young people out there who would (and do) step up and make fine Soldiers......But there are a whole hell of a lot of spoiled, undiciplined, self centered youngsters who hold no authority higher than themselves, who would wind up in uniform. And the military IS the sort of place where "one bad apple" can have a VERY detrimental impact.
Hitler.......Hitler, or another like him is a fine reason to have a draft.
"Diversity" is not.
We are already about as diverse as it gets. We are people from ALL walks of life, religions, ethnicities, backgrounds, philosophies, and points of the compass.
So for every left handed Eskimo put into service for the sake of diversity that made a great Soldier, we would wind up with 20 who didn't want to be there.
And if they don't want to be here, then I don't want them here either.
-Doc J
"Steel Medic One"
Fires Sqadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment
I challenge all on this post ... We The People have lots our rights and the constitution is being threaded almost daily by the DC thug establishment who control the military. Anyone who disagrees with this is not packing a full deck and watches tooooooo much TV.
I challenge the military ... you all took oaths to defend the constitution!!!!
WHERE THE PHUCK ARE YOU!!!!
But during my time in the Military, as a senior enlisted person, it became my job to mold those under me into being good sailors. And in the 50's and 60's that included draftees. And I never feared that they could not be depended on, as I made it clear that we were a team, and depended on each other.
As I'm sure you do with your troops as well. It's the mark of a good leader.
BAck then if a draftee made it out of boot camp, they were well on the way to some self pride, and self disipline, making it much easier to ready them for whatever our mission was. Back then in the Navy, each Boot Camp Platoon began with about 135 Recruits. And the Basic process usually reduced that down to about 90-95 that made the grade. And if you made it through Boot Camp, you came out with a whole new outlook on life in general. I went in as an 18 year old spoiled brat, and came out of boot camp as an adult.
But in the 50s and even 60s, you still had kids with a sense of duty as opposed to a sense of entitlement. Also they are less functionally mature than then.
Nowadays with 40 being "the new 30" and 30 being "the new 20"....
It makes 20 "the new 10".
I'm sure you have yourself read the reports about how kids are staying with parents longer and longer - up into their 30s even.
Compare that to your parent's/my grandparents (WW2 gen) who could and often did run the entire farm by age 14.
Mind you, I am generalizing here, but sadly there is a whole new cultural dynamic in play now than there was then.
I was chomping at the bit to be on my own at age 14, and by age 17 was working and making a life for myself. When my Draft notice came, I did not even open it, but went straight to Navy Recruiting, and insisted on becoming an Airdale. The rest becomes history.
But in my USO service, I see some of the young soldiers coming through, and they appear to be very squared away, and intelligent.
And that's why I haven't lost hope yet.
"But during my time in the Military, as a senior enlisted person, it became my job to mold those under me into being good sailors. And in the 50's and 60's that included draftees. And I never feared that they could not be depended on, as I made it clear that we were a team, and depended on each other."
The draftees I trained and led had an attitude of 'this will be over in 24 months'.... and never really gave me much trouble. They did have what many of my fellow NCOs considered the annoying habit of asking 'Why?'. I was brought up to believe that when the question 'Why?' crops up and the only answer you have is 'Because CONARC says so!", it's time to re-think the requirement.
In three tours in Viet Nam, I never had one let me down.
And it was you that deviated rom the subject, unless this post was about illegal orders and I somehow missed it.
Piss off.
You may wish to check in with reality now and then.
We're done here.
Every one I know that has served has done so in a humble manner but for me.....
If you have served, sorry for the phony wars that you were dragged into. This freedom thing is all talk? We have lost our freedoms and I don't see him or you doing a damn thing about it.