Draft Inevitable — “no Brainer”

Published on October 7, 2004 By stevendedalus In Politics

“The draft — which will include both boys and girls this time around — a no-brainer in ‘05 and ‘06.” — David Hackworth; www.hackworth.com

Hackworth’s position is that the war on terror, excluding Iraq, will require more boots on the ground and that no amount of sophisticated blockbuster weapons can effectively hunt down terrorists. The “Stop Loss” program of the Pentagon extending enlistments beyond contractual agreements in effect has transformed the volunteers as “backdoor draftees” who are determined to take a powder if the chance arises. This will inevitably lead to a draft in order to increase the number of grunts needed for a global rifleman’s war.

For those who espouse an all volunteer service, thanks to Rumsfeld’s shameless comment: that Vietnam draftees added “no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services…it took an enormous amount of effort in terms of training, and then they were gone.”

The fact is the “no value” draftees in the last century fought two world wars and two major conflicts with honor. Also training time is no different for draftee or regular, and the length of service is determined by the duration of conflicts — unfortunately in this case unending.

http://stevendedalus.joeuser.com

Comments (Page 2)

Daiwa

on Oct 07, 2004

For those who espouse an all volunteer service, thanks to Rumsfeld’s shameless comment: that Vietnam draftees added “no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services…it took an enormous amount of effort in terms of training, and then they were gone.”

The fact is the “no value” draftees in the last century fought two world wars and two major conflicts with honor. Also training time is no different for draftee or regular, and the length of service is determined by the duration of conflicts — unfortunately in this case unending.

Now come on, Steve - you know that was taken out of context and that what Rumsfeld was saying is an undeniable fact. The volunteer military has lower training costs and higher efficiency due to lower turnover of troops. He was in no way dissing the draftees of prior wars, he was simply commenting on the fact that the contribution of those draftees, in general, is short-lived compared with that of the volunteers. You should not try to infer that Rumsfeld demeaned the service of any Soldier, Sailor or Marine, past or present.

Cheers,
Daiwa

stevendedalus

on Oct 08, 2004

he was simply commenting on the fact that the contribution of those draftees, in general, is short-lived compared with that of the volunteers.

Duration depends on the seriousness of the war or need. In some event it could actually exceed a regular tour of duty. Also, Rumsfeld did not mention that draftees after discharge are still reservists on call.

Baker, I did not post this as a politcal statement.

bakerstreet

on Oct 08, 2004

mmm, okay. *nudge nudge* I get ya. Of course you didn't

...

MNFisherman

on Oct 08, 2004

We may need to just pick up and leave if it comes down to going to war with Iran for REAL reasons (ie refusal to stop producing wmd's which they have ADMITED to. And in that case it would be with UN apporval.

Can you honestly tell me that the UN would approve something like this with Iran, just look at what they have approved in the way of a resloution on the Sudan. There will always be someone who disagrees with us just to disagree with us. sorry to get off topic

pseudosoldier

on Oct 08, 2004

Baker, I did not post this as a politcal statement.

Of course. That's why you posted it under "Philosophy."

Wait, he what?

bakerstreet

on Oct 08, 2004

...

*cough*

( pssst... pseudosoldier ... insightful )

stevendedalus

on Oct 08, 2004

Nor as a philosophy; yet I do feel that young people should give some service to the country.

Grim Xiozan

on Oct 08, 2004

Nor as a philosophy; yet I do feel that young people should give some service to the country.

So starting a Company or working in the Peace Corp is not a service to the Country?

Oh my, tell Bill Gates to tear down Microsoft, tell Howard Schultz to stop and tear down Starbucks, ressurrect Sam Walton and have him tear down Wal-Mart and Sam's, than after you have all the Companies torn down let us stop everyone in the Peace Corp!

Throw your companies away and quit working in the peace corp, we want your service NOW without delay!

- GX

sandy2

on Oct 08, 2004

And along with this, we want the US economy to fail, we want us to all become bums on the street corner, which will be crumbling, and we want us to not even be able to afford to have a military (drafted or otherwise).

Grim Xiozan

on Oct 08, 2004

Wow, you catch on, service to a country is not just to a military, but also to many different facets that can be a Company, the Peace Corp, CIA, FBI, Government, etc.

To start drafting young people because you think they are doing nothing shows a gross misjudgment in what young people have contributed to society, is it not?

Or to say only service in the military is service to the country is that right?

There are many organizations that are National Service Agencies such as the Peace Corp that are non-military, is it right to belittle their contribution?

- GX

sandy2

on Oct 08, 2004

To start drafting young people because you think they are doing nothing shows a gross misjudgment in what young people have contributed to society, is it not?

Or to say only service in the military is service to the country is that right?

There are many organizations that are National Service Agencies such as the Peace Corp that are non-military, is it right to belittle their contribution?

Absolutley. The only place where I disagree with you is to state that if it comes to a point where we need a draft its Bush's fault.

Grim Xiozan

on Oct 08, 2004

The only place where I disagree with you is to state that if it comes to a point where we need a draft its Bush's fault.

Not exactly that blame would lay squarely on the D o D, either by poor Recruiting or by improper handling of troops (i.e. pay, benefits, healthcare, hours, etc.) a Commander in Chief cannot control every single minute action of the D o D.

- GX

sandy2

on Oct 08, 2004

Bush went to war, when he didn't need to.

bakerstreet

on Oct 08, 2004

"Bush went to war, when he didn't need to. "

Most of us prefer that to what might have happend had Hussein had been rearmed by his UN flunkies...

A thousand US soldiers is an awful loss, but frankly it is better than the loss of life involved with a provocative attack AND a thousand US soldiers thereafter...

sandy2

on Oct 08, 2004

Most of us prefer that to what might have happend had Hussein had been rearmed by his UN flunkies...

Hussein was not a threat that could not be dealt with in other ways. Yes we are better off with hussein gone, but not 1000 lives better. 1000 lives to prevent 9/11 would have been worth it. 5,000 lives to prevent 9/11 would have been worth it. But rather we are not protecting our homeland, but rather the oil.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!