Charlie Rangel brings up a Draft bill every year

[DetlefK]

33. But the draft is a great idea from a social point of view: re Germany's Zivildienst

Germany used to have a draft, but you had a choice: military service or civil service.

Military service was shorter and the pay was better.

I chose civil service and worked with old and disabled people for a year. The work sucked at times and the salary... let's say it was good that I still lived at my parents. But I learned a lot in terms of medical care and household-stuff and it builds character.


It worked like this:
- A company (hospital, retirement home, social welfare organization...) would apply for the right to employ "Zivis".
- Once you get your letter from the draft office that you are allowed to choose civil service over military service, you had to apply for such a position at such a company. (I never heard of a rejection.)
- As a "Zivi", you work for the company but you get paid by the state.

I worked at a social welfare organization and mainly did household-chores for old and disabled people. For example, I was called in for one-time cleaning jobs a few times.
I knew a guy who worked at a hospital and his job was bring goods and patients from A to B.



Germany got rid of the draft a few years after my service. And with the military draft, the civil service also died. Maybe the military doesn't mind getting rid of inexperienced and unmotivated recruits, but I know that Germany lost an important piece of culture when the "Zivildienst" ceased to be.