Sunday mouthpieces all say too many tours in war zone is bad, but none admit we need a draft.

[bluedigger]

33. Your experience actually make my case stronger, Lasher.

You were drafted into a public climate that had already turned against an unpopular war that had gone on too long for geopolitical reasons that it could not resolve.

A draft isn't designed to develop a skilled force, but to fill out the ranks. Most of the troops drafted in WWII served for three years or less, and were routinely thrown into battle with little more than basic training (after D-Day). And then we won, and sent the survivors home. Korean War was the same, except we had a lot more experience to draw on. Then came Vietnam, and our goals became grander and more vague. Now we conduct multiple overlapping conflicts with the same troops, and it doesn't work.

I worded my statement on the effect on different segments of society poorly. I think that the poor bear a different and much crueler burden . That is true of all aspects of our society, though, and is better addressed through civil rights and income equality advocacy.