Bring Back the Draft

Thinking about many of today’s problems in the harsh light of a dystopian America becoming reality, the idea of bringing back the Draft came to mind.  In 1968, I was drafted by the Army to serve for two years and “volunteered” for four years in the Navy instead.  Before boot camp, I asked a cousin who had already served in the Army, what it was like.  His answer was something to the effect that he wouldn’t do it again for a million dollars but also wouldn’t trade the experience he had for the same amount of money.  It took me four years to fully understand what he had said.

Boot Camp

My vision for a New Draft would provide a two-year obligation for all residents of this country of a certain age, regardless of sex or physical readiness for combat.  This would not be the dreaded Draft of my youth that conscripted all 18-year-old males to military service, but a modified Draft system for all.  Your two-year debt to this country must be served or started any time between the ages of 18 and 26.  All 18 year-olds would owe two years of government based service.  Certain variations of service may be appropriate in specific situations.  For instance, those seeking careers in the medical professions could fulfill their obligations with residency or internships in VA hospitals or select under-served communities.  Other disciplines requiring advanced degrees and lengthy educations could have similar accommodation.  I would also foresee certain situations where this public service obligation could be served on a part time basis for a longer period where the total number of hours equated with a two-year full time commitment.

Our last experience with conscription (the Draft) was from 1940 to 1973, and included World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.  This Draft was strictly a military conscription to serve our country in time of war.  You may call it a patriotic or civic duty or just a debt you owe for living in a free country; it is my opinion that government service should be part of everyone’s experience and not just a convenience to our military in time of war.

Under this New Draft as I will call it, you could serve your two years with any of dozens of positions.  Some of these positions would have to be created but all would benefit our society as a whole.  You could serve in the military, do clerical or administrative tasks, work on a construction crew fixing our infrastructure, assist veterans in a VA hospital, or work in any number of similar positions that would provide benefit to our nation and local communities.  All positions would be paid.  Many would provide some manner of career training with future employment opportunities when appropriate.  Some positions would be handled through private contractors working on special government projects like infrastructure improvements.  Many positions would include “3-hots and a cot” to use the old military parlance for meals and housing.

The idea for this article came from many places.  It was today however, prompted by a news story of a Kentucky community that has suffered from their inability to provide clean drinking water to their citizens.  Water treatment was minimal and the pipes delivering the water leaked about half of what entered.  The pipes were also a source of contamination.  The problem had been identified at least 50 years ago, but nothing has been done.  The EPA claims that the water in this system exceeds the limits for many carcinogens.  The same area also has high rates of varying cancers.

Martin County Kentucky Water Tanks

I thought, why, in the year 2018, when our government delivers aid to millions of needy individuals in foreign lands, can we not take care of our own.  Clean drinking water should be available to all of our nation’s citizens.  We need some common sense priorities in this country.  While most of us would agree with the importance of border security, certainly providing clean potable water to our nation should rank much higher on our list of priority expenditures than building a border wall.  A New Draft system could provide a source of labor for both a new water system for citizens like those in Kentucky and help with construction projects like a border wall.

In the Navy, we had the SEABEES.  Their name was a heterograph of the initials CB’s which stood for Construction Battalion.  Their motto was Seabees Can Do.  From personal experience, their motto was no BS.  Perhaps a similar but quasi-military organization, staffed with New Draft participants, encompassing a mobile construction force of engineers, designers, and construction personnel, could be put to the task of working on a list of domestic issues.  They could re-build water supplies, fix bridges in “out-of-the-way” America, and could be commandeered during natural disasters.

Navy Seabees (Construction Battalion) Can Do

The New Draft would put all participants through an evaluation system and would match skills and abilities with opportunities.  Earlier in this article, I used the term “residents” to identify who had an obligation under the New Draft and this was a conscious decision.  The New Draft could be used to provide a path to citizenship for many of the so-called “Dreamers” whose immigration status is uncertain.  There would be very few exemptions under the New Draft.  Severe physical and psychological problems would be identified and evaluated on an individual basis.  Certainly, bone spurs in the heels would not qualify for exemption as even wheelchair bound individuals would be eligible for certain Draft positions.  There would be no religious deferments, as accommodations would be made for some manner of public service compliant with religious beliefs.  Any individuals found to be unfit for the New Draft, would definitely never be permitted to own a firearm.

Athlete in center of picture missed the draft due to bone spurs

Another benefit of the New Draft would be for our military.  By many accounts, our experiment with an all-volunteer military has been a failure.  I recently watched a YouTube video interview of retired Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, a former Chief of Staff to Sec. of State Gen. Colin Powell, who painted a rather bleak picture of the current state of the military.  An all-encompassing public service New Draft implementation would seem to provide at least some impetus toward solving their personnel issues.

I was never a fan of the military conscription Draft of the Cold War, but I now find myself favoring an expanded public service Draft, my New Draft if you will.  As I neared this point in writing this article, I stumbled upon a 2012 piece in the Huffington Post titled, Is Now the Time for Mandatory National Service, by Karen M. Whitney, Ph.D., President of Clarion University.  Her point of view was similar to what you have read so far, but with a slight twist.  She thought that the two-year commitment should always be between the ages of 18 and 20 for everyone.  She foresaw the benefit of a two-year break between high school and college, some of which was based on the maturity levels of 20-year-old college freshmen versus 18-year-olds.

College Maturity at it's Finest

I can easily see a time when it would become necessary to reinstate our military draft.  The all-volunteer service we now use may not see us through any major conflict.  War is our destiny.  Our country has been at war for 223 of the last 240 years.  That’s less than 20 years of peace since 1776.  We are currently in the longest war in our nation’s history, surpassing the 234-month Vietnam debacle.  Our Orwellian future is here.  I would only hope that, if we find it necessary to bring back the Draft, we do so with a public service option as outlined here.

PEACE!

Picture taken by me at 2015 Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans