Reinstating the Draft
A great man by the name of Thomas Jefferson once said, “Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.” Thomas Jefferson was a very intelligent man and would not have said something like this if he had no logic or reasoning behind it. Personally, I do not completely agree with this specific statement that he made. I agree that during the times of the Greek and Roman Empire that every citizen was a soldier, but I don’t think it needs to be that way now. Even though there are American forces attending to crises across the globe, I do not think that the United States needs a severe more amount of soldiers in its military. I do not believe that the United states should increase the size of the military by reinstating the mandatory draft because there are enough citizens that volunteer as it is, there is no war currently going on that requires more soldiers, and because many of the young men that got drafted couldn’t handle the mental part of being in a war.
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Initially, I don’t believe that the United States should reinstate the draft because there are enough citizens that currently volunteer for the military.
Because so many people volunteer for the military, a draft isn’t necessary because we would have plenty more soldiers than we needed. And if we had too many soldiers, the government would be spending millions and millions of dollars that would just be wasted on soldiers that are never even going to see an actual battlefield. There would be no point in training this many soldiers if they’re never going to use the skills that they attain while being at a military
academy. Second of all, I don’t believe that we should reinstate the draft because we aren’t involved in any type of war right now that is in need of more soldiers. There is no current crisis going on that the United States is involved in that is losing so bad that they immediately require more soldiers. And because there is no wars going on that require more soldiers, there is no reason to reinstate the draft because then we would have a surplus of soldiers that were being trained for absolutely no reason at all. In this scenario, the United States Government is again throwing money at the military that is training an insane amount of soldiers who are never going to learn the skills they are acquiring. Lastly, I don’t think that they should reinstate the draft because many of the young men that were drafted would not be mentally prepared for what the military was about to throw at them. To me, one of the biggest things about being a good soldier is your mentality. If you have the right mentality, you are going to make an amazing soldier and you’re going to make your country proud. On the other hand, if you are forced by the draft to join the military when you didn’t want to, you aren’t going to take things serious. You’re going to put your own life at risk and also those around you are going to be at risk as well. If you don’t want to be in the military, you aren’t going to do what you are told and you’re going to create many problems that you don’t want. In conclusion, I do not think that the United States Government should reinstate the draft. I believe that it would create more problems than it solved, and the country would not be benefited at all from the reinstated of draft. Thomas Jefferson is a very intelligent man, but he made that quote in a different time period. Maybe back then there weren’t enough people who volunteered for the draft, or they were in the middle of a war or crisis that required more soldiers. If Thomas Jefferson were alive today I do not believe that he would have the same opinion as he did back then. I agree that every citizen should be a soldier in a way, but that doesn’t mean that the United States should reinstate the draft.
An accountant might not be very great at shooting an aiming, but he will help the government budget the money to purchase more guns and weapons. Then again, a renound marksman would be better in combat, or even someone who went to a state shooting event and won over the whole state. Any one in shooting sports in fact! They'd be good at aiming and hitting. Someone with people skills could communicate for the army, but maybe she can't do the technical stuff of getting radio signals enough to make the phone calls and emails. The draft eliminates the ability for Americans to choose, and they are forced to serve in the military, when if they had a choice they might pick something still very helpful, but not dangerous or completely obnoxious for them. By reinstating the draft the government would kill the freedom of choice, everyone has a relatable skill set that could in some way benefit the government or military. So if the draft did come back, maybe they could change it so you can pick which job you'd like to train
If there was a draft, there would be a lot more men and women out there fighting to keep our country safe so that we can continue to lay down at night and not be afraid of what might happen to us when we do. Our military is strong, but if there was a specific number of men joining every year or so, our numbers would be higher, therefore increasing our strength. Being in the military is something to be proud of, and those that join on their own are good people, but anyone that goes out and fights, draft or not, is still a good person and should have our respect. Most people see commercials on television about the armed forces and think that it might be a good thing to go do, I know I have, but some might not put any more work into it after they see it the first time. Having a draft would get rid of that part of them that doesn’t want to get up off the couch and
People who support the military draft will say that 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. Aren?t there many other ways--less deadly ways--to contribute to the country?s well being? Should we, as citizens, be allowed to evade this ultimate obligation by turning it over to the poorer members of society, those who can't find good-paying jobs or training except in the military? In "A War for Us, Fought by Them," William Broyles, a Vietnam war veteran and the father of a young man who is a soldier in the Marines, argues that the military draft should be brought back, and this time it should be done right: everybody should be drafted, not just ?the profoundly patriotic or the economically needy" (Broyles 695).
Ever since the first war involving America started, there have been countless discussions on who should fight for our country. There are talks of age, gender, and if the service should be voluntary or not. In America, serving is voluntary, although, in other countries, it is not. The service should stay voluntary in America because if not, it would go against freedom and it would be a source of newfound problems within our country. Also, if youth took off two years of their lives to serve, they would not gain experience to work in the fields that need more work force.
Therefore, if the majority of the nation isn’t going to do anything to be proud of, why should they have the chance to do anything? Well if we are going to make young Americans serve to protect this country to keep it free from the horrors of the world, we as citizens should take notice and appreciate it and live life to its fullest potential and make something of ourselves. The draft may be something that would be very beneficial to the American society, it may be just
Generally, reinstating the Constitutional draft would solidify the meaning of being an American citizen. Often, wealthier and more privileged people are able to ask for exemption from serving, which makes representation of soldiers in combat composed of less-privileged citizens. With compulsory conscription, all American citizens, men or women, ages 18-26 are subject to be recruited for the armed forces. In fact, only 4 members of the 107th Congress who voted in favor of the Iraq war had children serving there. Politicians would know how it feels to have loved ones in a war, instead of freely speaking about wartime without experiencing it in any way.1 Moreover, Americans feel that public support for war in foreign countries is not strong because the soldiers fighting are p...
I never thought I would say this but I think we should reinstate the draft. It has been years since we have wanted or needed a draft, but in view of the United States being attacked on September 11, 2001, I feel our country must be ready and prepared to defend itself. If being prepared means reinstating the draft, a mandatory summons for military service, then I think we should consider this a reasonable proposal. I think the tragic events of September 11 will evoke most people to agree with me. Since September 11 we have seen a surge of patriotism in this country that seemed hidden for many years. I am so glad patriotism was not lost, and I think most Americans would be willing to defend their country in light of this attack. We are a nation and a people who believe in freedom and democracy. It tells other nations who we are and what we stand for. It is these beliefs that lead me to believe that the people of the United States will do anything to preserve our freedom and democracy even if it means reinstating the draft. I want to prove this notion, but am unsure how to accomplish this. I have not read any recent articles in newspapers or magazines that have dealt with this issue. My textbook was not a source either. So I decided to do two things. First, I went to the Internet for any information, articles, discussions, or statements relating to this issue. Second, I decided to conduct an informal poll. This informal poll consisted of male and female respondents with an age span of eighteen to sixty two. My poll started with classmates in my Western Civilization and Studio Art classes and the professors who instruct these classes. My poll included emailing friends and family who live and work in New York, family currently serving in the Armed Forces, and a family member who is a Veteran of the Viet Nam War. Also included in this poll is a random sampling of the townspeople of Los Alamos. Medical personnel at Los Alamos Women’s Health Services, and the lunch crowd at Café’ Allegro rounded out my poll. This cross section of Americans evoked many feelings and opinions and stimulated many conversations and critical thought. These conversations exhilarated me and the results I obtained amazed me.
There is a Time and a place for everything, for instance there were times when a militarized force wasn’t nearly large enough for an impending war as necessary to stand even that of a fighting chance towards victory. Our nation’s solution to this problem was creating the military draft, which most recently was used during the Vietnam War. The military draft, or Selective Service System, is Conscription, or in other words “forced labor demanded by some established authority” (Worddiq). “From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means.” (Landscaper) 2/3 of the American troops entered in that war were volunteers, while the other third were all draftees by lottery by birth. (Roush) Some might say "hey that’s only one third of our military, that’s not too many draftees." The only problems with that statement would be that the war itself didn't move towards our favor even with the draft. The draftees went through a rushed training session and entered a battlefield with nearly no experience what-so-ever, on or off the battlefield.
“First, conscription doesn’t save much cash. It costs money to manage and enforce a draft- history demonstrates that not every inductee would go quietly. Conscripts serve shorter terms and reenlist less frequently, increasing turnover, which is expensive. And unless the government instituted a Czarist lifetime draft, everyone beyond the first ranks would continue to expect to be paid” (Forbes). Even though “The military not only provides training in a range of specialties; it also offers educational benefits for veterans-- including many from underprivileged back grounds-- that might not be available under a mandatory
Simply put, the United States has no need for a draft. As of December 31, 2013 the United States has the second largest military in the world according to the Department of Defense. The largest military in the world is China’s People’s Liberation Army which is also all voluntary. The People’s Liberation Army consists of approximately 2,300,000 members. As of the end of 2013, the United States military consisted of approximately ...
...itary conscription in the name of freedom is an illegitimate, criminal organization. A government that is willing to enslave people cannot be trusted to protect your liberty. A government that forces people to fight for its goals, its protection, and its benefit has created a morally perverse situation where there is no free society left to defend” (Boldin). Another thing we must look at is without an overflow of troops; “unpopular wars are very difficult to fight. The ability to use conscription actually encourages politicians to wage even more wars;the massive resources are a temptation that is hard for the war-lover to resist. When the draft was finally undermined in the 1970′s, for example, the Vietnam War ended” (Boldin).
The benefits of having a military draft are obvious. We need soldiers to fight and not every citizen is willingly going to do so, so unfortunately there have been times where the people had to be forced to fight. Many people find that this whole concept of a draft is a horrible idea. The basis of this country is that everyone is free to do whatever he or she want and to not do whatever they don’t want. You can express free religion and freedom of speech, and you can even criticize the president strongly, but then out of the blue, it is not your choice whether or not you go to war? It is confusing to think that with all these freedoms, there would still be a draft for so many years. Truthfully, it lacks consi...
Therefore, with that pressure more people should be volunteering for the military, but of course they aren’t. Which suggests that reinstating the draft would be a good idea. With more soldiers, we could handle many more conflicts and situations since we could spread the military out and have them dealing with different situations at once. Not only that, but if a war were to suddenly start, we would have the numbers needed to be successful in the war. In almost any aspect, reinstating the draft has no disadvantages. It would only make our country's military stronger and more prepared. I also believe that reinstating the draft would bring the country together. If more people were fighting in the war then more people would care about it since they are personally affected by it. Therefore, I think it would draw the nation together as a whole, Clearly, reinstating the draft would be beneficial because it would create a bigger military that could solve more problems at once, prepare us for any sudden wars, and draw the nation
Our generation has a bigger fight than the “Greatest Generation.” We are fighting a war with an ideology, not a government. We are fighting a group of people who hate us because of our love for freedom. If a draft is part of the American fabric, we should be leery of it. But at the same time, if we don’t have the men to fight this war, we will lose our way of life, a way of life that may never be regained.
When a person is drafted into war, they don’t really have a choice. It can be seen as a life or death situation, however the reality is the situation between what is socially acceptable. It’s in human nature to protect oneself from harm. Rational people would not willingly put oneself in danger. Who wants to die for an unknown cause? Being drafted into war is shocking. No one thinks it’s going to happen to them. The best solution out seems to be to run away. Running away from any impending danger. Running is considered cowardly. What keeps most away from this simple solution is the fear of shame. Embarrassment and ridicule are the strongest motivators. Humans are social animals. They look upon each other to do what is acceptable. They are raised to