General Discussion

hardtravelin

(190 posts)

75. NO THANKS!

Tue Nov 17, 2015, 11:26 PM

Nov 2015

I am a recently retired infantryman with 22 years of active service. Today's Army is professionalized to a degree never seen before in our history. And that is a good thing. No disrespect towards conscription era soldiers, but I am sure they could tell you of the effect an unwilling conscript has on the rest of a unit. It is hard enough to train a new soldier to a level required to give him or her the best chance to come home alive.

With regard to equal representation across the demographic spectrum, our military looks a lot like America. Whites make up about 70%, blacks make up about 17%, and the rest are filled by the rest of the other groups. Both whites and blacks are overrepresented in the active military by about 7%.

In short, the guys doing the fighting for this country don't want a draft. Should'nt we ask them what they want, since they're going to be the ones doing the fighting?

For those interested, this is the raw data on our military's demographics.

http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2012_Demographics_Report.pdf

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I'm Sorry... If We Are To Go Down This Syrian/ISIS Road To War... Reinstitute The Draft [View all] WillyT Nov 2015 OP

And women should join the selective service as well Travis_0004 Nov 2015 #1

HELL NO. Not until the ERA is passed. Not a minute before. pnwmom Nov 2015 #37

Good point. zentrum Nov 2015 #39

do it anyway. show the bums roguevalley Nov 2015 #49

Do what anyway? Draft women before there is an ERA? Who are the bums you want to "show"? pnwmom Nov 2015 #50

Forgive my certain ignorance, JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #57

In the 70's we had a huge effort to pass an amendment to the Constitution pnwmom Nov 2015 #77

Thank you. JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #88

I know I've read about specific cases, pnwmom Nov 2015 #90

Some more research reveals JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #93

The other aspect is that the 14th amendment only protects against pnwmom Nov 2015 #95

I was actually thinking the reverse JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #96

What you say makes sense. But I had just read the opposite somewhere. In the meantime, pnwmom Nov 2015 #98

Very Interesting indeed. JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #99

Are you sure about that? Is racial discrimination allowed among private employers? pnwmom Nov 2015 #100

Point taken. I think some more research needs to be done JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #101

Thank you for the interesting pnwmom Nov 2015 #102

You too JonLeibowitz Nov 2015 #103

I agree. n/t tazkcmo Nov 2015 #69

Yes, women in the infantry mwrguy Nov 2015 #53

And lose the only leverage we have for getting the ERA passed? NO! No ERA, pnwmom Nov 2015 #78

I agree 100%, Agnosticsherbet Nov 2015 #2

Only if the politicians and the MIC Magnates are at the front of the line dickthegrouch Nov 2015 #73

No head of the lines. If it is a war important enough to fight.. Agnosticsherbet Nov 2015 #74

How very idealistic of you Warpy Nov 2015 #3

I'll bet if newblewtoo Nov 2015 #4

Rubbish, they just ship the precious kiddies off to fancy schools offshore. Warpy Nov 2015 #21

that isn't even close to true dsc Nov 2015 #25

jfk and his older brother lancer78 Nov 2015 #35

unless you are British lancer78 Nov 2015 #34

Can you elaborate please? BlueCollar Nov 2015 #63

Even if the 1% escapes, zentrum Nov 2015 #43

Sorry, wrong. tazkcmo Nov 2015 #71

Absolutely false. former9thward Nov 2015 #82

I'm An Idealistic Guy... WillyT Nov 2015 #6

I don't get the idea "draft Jim if he wants war. Or if he's too old, draft his MillennialDem Nov 2015 #81

No abelenkpe Nov 2015 #5

In This Case... You Don't Have To Win The Vote, You Just Have To Win The Argument WillyT Nov 2015 #7

Don't see that justifes sending abelenkpe Nov 2015 #10

I Agree Completely... But... WillyT Nov 2015 #17

Hope we choose a better path. :) abelenkpe Nov 2015 #40

Thats it. zentrum Nov 2015 #47

In Europe, there never was an exemption for the rich Yorktown Nov 2015 #54

In WWll JonathanRackham Nov 2015 #8

If you have a point, it was lost the your blame-the-victim manure you smeared all over this forum. Maedhros Nov 2015 #13

Ignore and ignorant are closely related words. JonathanRackham Nov 2015 #14

How Do You Know They Don't ??? WillyT Nov 2015 #18

Point taken. Nt JonathanRackham Nov 2015 #20

Thanks... WillyT Nov 2015 #23

How do you know this? tazkcmo Nov 2015 #76

Never going to happen. I don't think people should be forced into committing murder. YOHABLO Nov 2015 #9

The military is currently turning away 80% of applicants madville Nov 2015 #11

This was basically the comment I was coming to post. Chan790 Nov 2015 #70

My experience says you are wrong. Ron Green Nov 2015 #85

Thank you for your service madville Nov 2015 #108

That is precisely a big problem. Ron Green Nov 2015 #123

I disagree tazkcmo Nov 2015 #84

The military and draftees of 50-70 years ago madville Nov 2015 #110

Ahem tazkcmo Nov 2015 #115

2000-2011 madville Nov 2015 #116

About time too and yes, many changes, some for the worse, IMO. tazkcmo Nov 2015 #118

I think the misconception in these draft threads madville Nov 2015 #119

excellent point rollin74 Nov 2015 #87

No exemptions or deferments. pa28 Nov 2015 #12

THANK YOU !!! WillyT Nov 2015 #19

Message auto-removed Name removed Nov 2015 #15

Did you ever have to worry about being drafted? Andy823 Nov 2015 #16

Yeah... I Watched My Friends Older Brothers Get "Picked" By The Lottery System... WillyT Nov 2015 #22

There is a difference Willy Andy823 Nov 2015 #41

Me too. tazkcmo Nov 2015 #79

What do you think that would do, really? HereSince1628 Nov 2015 #24

Like I Said Above... It Needs To Be Put Out On The Stump/The Debates... WillyT Nov 2015 #28

If we debate a national draft, it must have a purpose HereSince1628 Nov 2015 #38

You are right as rain on this dsc Nov 2015 #26

fuck. the. draft. Warren Stupidity Nov 2015 #27

Fuck. War. WillyT Nov 2015 #29

The theory that providing the war machine with conscripts will prevent war Warren Stupidity Nov 2015 #114

That might lull the sheeple out of their Great American slumber. Rex Nov 2015 #30

It's concerning. moondust Nov 2015 #31

Or raise taxes on the 1% to pay for it gwheezie Nov 2015 #32

I Like That !!! WillyT Nov 2015 #33

Didn't we learn ANYTHING from Vietnam? We lost 50,000 Americans in a war with a draft. pnwmom Nov 2015 #36

Exactly Andy823 Nov 2015 #45

Thank you sarge43 Nov 2015 #46

No personal offence intended but not just no...fuck no. Still In Wisconsin Nov 2015 #42

So you want to create a massively large army? hack89 Nov 2015 #44

yes...no deferments Demonaut Nov 2015 #48

LOL! Now wouldn't that start a panic?! Rex Nov 2015 #52

I agree with that. Besides, are we really getting the right people when those that wanna bomb Hoyt Nov 2015 #51

"Institute a draft and wars will be minimized." Scootaloo Nov 2015 #56

Charles Rangel figured it out years ago. It's one thing to institute a draft when you are up to your Hoyt Nov 2015 #58

History still shows the idea to be flat wrong. Scootaloo Nov 2015 #61

Show me where we had a draft at the start of a war. Hoyt Nov 2015 #62

Every war from the Revolutionary to Vietnam. Scootaloo Nov 2015 #67

The problem is Andy823 Nov 2015 #72

I believe Rangel is right about a draft where everyone is subject to being called. Hoyt Nov 2015 #107

If we reinstate the draft, then we need to start calling numbers where we left off in '72 Scootaloo Nov 2015 #55

Ya got a point but gwheezie Nov 2015 #59

I absolutely agree with this and I'm too old to be drafted at least under the current system (35) MillennialDem Nov 2015 #83

Well I do want a draft. zeemike Nov 2015 #60

How many years did the deeply unpopular Vietnam War last? pnwmom Nov 2015 #80

Well that was the war of my youth. zeemike Nov 2015 #86

Actually, the deferments were there from the very beginning, but as the war dragged on pnwmom Nov 2015 #92

Well I don't agree that it was Watergate. zeemike Nov 2015 #122

Dissenting Jack Rabbit Nov 2015 #64

Agree 100%... WillyT Nov 2015 #120

Surely we only need to do that if more troops are required than in the existing army? Nye Bevan Nov 2015 #65

No SCantiGOP Nov 2015 #66

I have a fifteen year old. xmas74 Nov 2015 #68

NO THANKS! hardtravelin Nov 2015 #75

well, it only took 8 years or 58,000 dead, whichever hits first MisterP Nov 2015 #89

Hell Man... We Did That In Three Days At Gettysburg... WillyT Nov 2015 #94

Even if that were an option, I want to see the dictators of the draft enlist first! akbacchus_BC Nov 2015 #91

Ugh, not this nonsense again cemaphonic Nov 2015 #97

I think the Obama administration has done the math and applegrove Nov 2015 #104

Sure, great! But this time, let's start with people in their 60s and early 70s, and work backwards. Warren DeMontague Nov 2015 #105

do you have a 20 year old male child" 2pooped2pop Nov 2015 #106

The drone wars are alive and well. The US will not have to expend people. joshcryer Nov 2015 #109

Why? Our Military is getting enough volunteers to fight the war on terror already. ileus Nov 2015 #111

My grandson is 20. Why should he die and/or commit murder for the hawks? djean111 Nov 2015 #112

You're putting the cart before the horse. Martin Eden Nov 2015 #113

It's always straight white men who are too old to serve, never served when young enough and who Bluenorthwest Nov 2015 #117

Ah... You Are Nothing If Not Predictable... WillyT Nov 2015 #121