Should we mandate military service for all youths between the age of 16-18?

[kvnchrist]

I was thinking about some of this for a very long time. I remember when I went in, it really straightened me out, but not everyone was as much of a d!@k as I was. I'm not thinking about the dicipline and the espree d corps as much as the experience of meeting people from all over the country and the impact of going overseas.

 

I tell you, it really put everything into perspective and gave me the chance that only those rich enough to travel to actually see other countries and cultures, up front. I don't think I would appriciate what I have, nor what others have as much, If I'd stayed in the U.S. and listened to the pundits tell me what was what?

[JimboUK]

No, firstly no one should be forced to serve the state and secondly an army is far better when it is populated by people who want to be there, not by those forced to be there.

[Rabbit1251]

Well, I still have my Draft Card and I'm still waiting for them to call me up. Say, how is that dirty little war in South-East Asia going anynow?

 

 

Rabbit

[M48A5]

To answer the original question, No. The government cannot mandate a potentially life threatening duty for juveniles. The starting age should be no younger than 18 years.

 

Should a form of service be mandated for anyone over the age of 18, yes. It should be in the form of military service of some type, or another government service. If you object to military service on religious grounds, you should have to perform an alternate service. For those that have a disability that would prevent them from serving, they would have to pay a special tax to support those serving.

[Aurielius]

Well, I still have my Draft Card and I'm still waiting for them to call me up. Say, how is that dirty little war in South-East Asia going anynow?

 

 

Rabbit

We managed without you. My guess is that my 56,000 brothers that didn't come home wouldn't find it funny either...so I'll speak for them since they cannot.

[kvnchrist]

Maybe I got the age group wrong. I was thinking about those inbetween high school and colledge. I'm 56 and without kids in that age group. The idea of it was to offer up a life experience that many can never have. The idea is to allow younger people tha chance to see other cultures and life styles. I feel the more experienced a person is the less chance they will fall for the antics of others.

 

I remember very fondly my experiences in Korea and Germany. The Korean people, especially those in the rural areas could teach a lot of Americans about work ethic and the appriciation of that which they have. Those people live with less than what many in this country call poverty level and do so in grand style.

 

Germay showed me the pride one should have in the community and the family. I don't know about many here, but my family was a gaggle of people living under one roof. We never learned to appriciate one another or to take care of what we have. It seems there is a lot of that going on all over the country.

 

We call for Global Warming, when we throw trash on the ground and let our communities go to pot, while we listen to Jerry Springer and play our playstations.

We let our highways and bridges turn to crap while we arge over which political party will save our butts while we sit on them and then wonder why nothing ever changes. It seems we are so interested in large economy sized issues and have forgotten about the small ones that effect us more often and to a greater extent than those others tell us is important.

 

How do we define importance in the first place? Is it the War 5000 miles away or the elderly gentleman who lives across the street and can't take care of himself? Is it Global Warming or the parent you see slaping his kid, infront of you?

 

How pathetic and simpleminded we are when we determine how great we are based on what we think instead of what we do.

[Beriallord]

Required military service for everyone? Hell no. The last thing in the world I'd want to do is put my bacon on the line for this government's BS foreign policy. No I do not stand with the USA when it comes to the fights they pick with other countries overseas. Vast majority of the wars fought in the 20th century, we had absolutely no business getting involved in.

 

Now if someone tries to invade us, then sign me up.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Beriallord

[JimboUK]

@kvnchrist You're not offering, you're compelling and you're also putting people in harms way for no good reason.

[HeyYou]

The opportunity to see new lands, experience different cultures, meet new people, and then kill them.......

 

Personally, I think some variety of mandatory service would be an excellent idea. Maybe it would give the 'entitled generation' a little bit of perspective..... and discipline..... But, that would never fly here. Even the draft is gone.

[Aurielius]

The opportunity to see new lands, experience different cultures, meet new people, and then kill them.......

 

Personally, I think some variety of mandatory service would be an excellent idea. Maybe it would give the 'entitled generation' a little bit of perspective..... and discipline..... But, that would never fly here. Even the draft is gone.

A simple solution would be an alternative service such as a domestic Peace Corps, you join one or the other but you put in two years plus in some form of national service. That should be a reasonable alternative for the risk adverse.