Replies

OK, good points, now tell me, how many draftees have you actually worked with? As a Captain how many were in your company? I was in a company made up with about 70% draftees albeit in the 60’s. Great bunch of guys, but then again, many if not most, were college grads from the NYC area and New England. Sure they couldn’t wait to get out, but they weren’t a problem, they did what they had to do and left. They also did their 4 year standby. As one of them I was called up for ADT 2 years later and assigned to a reserve unit as a filler for 2 weeks.

Go to my profile it better explains my point of view. My concern is an all out WW, not a brush fire. When we need a large amount of trained troops, where are they going to come from? How much time will we have to train them and what resources will be available to move and care for them? Your “MOST RECENT” war is not an all out war like WW II. Luckily we are fighting an enemy that isn’t totally sophisticated, and lacks the means to cause massive casualties on the battlefield and on our cities. Its a different war for a different generation and unfortunately it is controlled by PC. I’d still be in if it was up to me, but the Army doesn’t need a 70+ Colonel, or do they? Nahhh.

Bringbackthedraft: "My concern is an all out WW, not a brush fire."

I note your comments and agree with most of them.

Let me suggest some points here:

Literally, there can never again be another Second World War, for many reasons, from nuclear weapons to "It's a small world after all, it's a smaller world after all, it's a smaller, smaller world."
A future war on the scale of WWII is inconceivable without a nuclear exchange, and a large scale nuclear exchange is also, literally, inconceivable.
How much of our world would we even recognize after hundreds or even thousands of nukes go off over population centers?
So nothing we plan for today will be adequate for a major nuclear war.
That brings us back down to relatively minor, regional wars -- which is just what we have now.
In today's world the world's winningest military is... just what we have today: all volunteers, relatively small, highly trained, motivated and equipped, and used as sparingly as possible.

So, unless someone can convincingly describe a scenario where today's world drastically changes, I think we stay with what we have, while steadily improving over time.

With due respect - Sir - Draftees of today would be poor. I’m sorry, but present troops that do volunteer are the best the US has. I’m sure that if transcript personnel that were made to serve would do fine only if the work ethic is present. Over the last 20 years - about the time you retired - a major shift in personal ethics and a righteous duty to ones country started to be drummed out of the average US teenager. I have spoken in many school, went to study the dynamics to assess what impact this trend would have if continued towards national security - my results of this is staggering. Those that volunteer are it - that’s what we are stuck with presently. Until things in society change - until the elitist in WASH DC are voted out - and until Christianity and the values that rest on that religion are put back into the school system and pressed into the moral consciousness of every US student - then a draft will not work. From one veteran to another - times have changed Colonel. Those men you served with were from a different time - as a Captain who has earned his combat commander tabs, lead me into battle, and trained platoons of new soldiers and leaders - I do not want any part of a draft until those things above change!