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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (88330)	5/16/2012 10:14:02 PM
From: Farmboy	1 Recommendation Respond to of 89467

I believe countries like Korea and Israel pretty much do it the right way. I not only believe all men should serve, but women, too, with the exemption that if their husband is serving, then they could be deferred. Women would be the ones I would say could opt to serve their time in 'local' service positions, and would get priority over men for those positions if men were allowed the same privilege. The draft was the greatest equalizer the country ever had, in a sense. It put the backwoods hillbilly serving alongside the rich, city preppie, in the same job, on equal footing. It put blacks, whites, browns, reds, and yellows serving side-by-side, same job, same challenges, same rewards. I recall as a young E4, in a legal clerk job, I had an attorney working with me (also an E4), who had completed a tour in Vietnam and was a few months shy of completing his obligation. We both learned, I believe, from each other. Many 'professionals' opted to take the two year draft commitment, rather than enlisting for three or four years for a 'choice' job, or going for a commission and the longer commitment that entailed. People acquired a respect for others, and a respect for themselves, that doesn't seem to happen anywhere along the line today. They learned what a chain-of-command is, and they learned to function within that chain of command, and get the job done. They learned to accept responsibility for their actions, in many cases, which is something many are never exposed to these days. There was just an element of 'life education' that is largely missing from our society today. There was that bond from having shared a common experience, that only a few experience these days, when participating on a sports team or in other small groups. There was the element of respect for the nation, which was ingrained in military training and experience, that is missing today from the maturation process of our young men. That is, in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons the country was just generally doing better as a whole back when the draft was in force. But then, I'm just another old geezer, who probably is looking back through an imperfect memory, and an even more imperfect memory, at what used to be.