From the 12 December 2005 Lockport Union Sun and Journal (Lockport, NY) |
DRAFT WOULD FAIL IN TODAY’S AMERICA Over the course of the war in Iraq we’ve been inundated with rumblings about the possibility of one day bringing back the draft. These rumors are nothing more than media sensationalism…the draft will never occur over the course of this generation. Quite frankly, those in the upper levels of US leadership know full that the draft would fail in today’s America. The population available for conscription would make for a very poor military. The cohesiveness and effectiveness of a drafted military would be subpar at best due to a lack of the social behaviors and physical skill sets necessary for success. The military needs to pull from a population that possesses teamwork, patriotism, work ethic, and physical dexterity, all things that that a goodly portion of Generations X and Y are lacking. American values, unfortunately, are now based upon a "me-first" system of well-being. People are intent on satisfying their needs and only their needs. If something doesn’t affect their own little personal world it is of no consequence to them. Long gone are the days when people focused their thoughts and attention on the family and the community. You cannot build a military out of today’s mindset as a military can succeed only by a concerted team effort. If thousands of warriors have their own personal agendas, ignore the common cause, or look out only for the safety of themselves and not their brothers in war then we have a military destined for failure. No amount of military training could right this ship because the self-serving philosophy of today’s younger population is ingrained in their psyches and maliciously promoted by the very society we live in. A drafted military would also fail due to a lack of patriotism. Compare our generations to those that fought in World War II. They lived and breathed America. They fought and willingly sacrificed themselves for the American Dream. Today’s draft age folk are only part-time patriots. They bleed red, white, and blue and speak of their rights, obligations and dedication to our country only when it is convenient to do so. We experienced a patriotic upwelling in the 2004 presidential election year. We also witnessed such patriotism for a period following the September 11th attacks. Both of those periods of patriotic virtue are pitifully short in duration, lasting only a few months at a time. It seems that patriotic behavior is something done only when it is deemed "hip" and after that it becomes an afterthought, something almost looked at as a nuisance. A military cannot succeed when its people are not fully dedicated to its cause. The work ethic of a majority of our draftees would be suspect as well. I’ve witnessed poor drive, determination, and values among hundreds of my peers and those younger. Too many young people lack the positive attitude associated with labor that makes them productive citizens and valuable components of today’s economy. They think nothing of skipping work, over-emphasizing leisure, and just getting by. A military born of such lazy souls would be destined for failure. Another knock against the drafting ranks is its physical shape. In past drafts we had lean, mean fighting machines. Our warriors had toiled in fields and factories, and experienced leisure out of doors. Today’s potential warriors are overweight and out of shape thanks to desk and service jobs, very poor diets, and indoor leisure centered around TV’s and computers. The draft would give us a soft military that could not hold its own against even the most substandard of threats. These issues and others will prevent the government from reinstating the draft anytime soon. Thankfully, we have a strong corps of soldiers who have volunteered to fight for our country. Make it a point to thank your friends and families who are currently involved in the military. If it weren’t for their sacrifices the US would be forced to draft and our military would be only a shell of its former glorious self.
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