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One Reporter's Opinion — Service to Country First George Putnam It is this reporter's opinion that we are receiving conflicting reports concerning the capability of America's military.
The Defense Department brags that our Army and Marine Corps have met their volunteer quotas. Yet now we're hearing the warnings that our military is thin and unable to meet its commitments. We can't have it both ways.
If the latter report is on target, it's time to take another look at a true national service.
As one who served both briefly in the Army and later in the Marine Corps, I can tell you military service — service to country — is a remarkable experience.
When one finishes high school and turns 18, he or she has a couple of years to determine their purpose in life. The decisions 18-year-olds make determine success or failure for the rest of their lives.
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This reporter experienced not one but two boot camps: first, in the Army as a draftee, and then as a commissioned member of the U.S. Marine Corps — a double whammy!
But what discipline!
What direction!
What a feeling of service and belonging I derived!
As a liaison officer in the Marines, I hit every point in the Pacific except Iwo Jima and Japan.
What an adventure!
Each of us who served in the military has experienced moments beyond compare. I believe every 18- to-24-year-old should have that great privilege.
Many believe Nixon made a huge mistake when he abolished the draft. The day the Vietnam peace pacts were signed in Paris in 1973, the U.S. announced the draft was no more. Eighteen-year-old American males heaved a sigh of relief. But today the world is more dangerous and uncertain with American forces presently committed to at least 120 hotspots throughout the world and now it may well be time to "call 'em up!" Uncle Sam.
Jack Kennedy said it best: "It is a time to ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
The countries of the world that cannot control their youth are facing serious troubles. It is evident at this moment in France, Spain, and Denmark.
It is evident right here in America where roving bands of young gangs are controlling entire neighborhoods. What wasted energy as these youngsters fail in mature growth with a lack of discipline, direction, and a contribution to even their own future!
It is no coincidence that throughout U.S. history there has never been a coup d'etat on our soil. The closest we have come to even vaguely understanding what it's like to live in a war zone on our own turf was 9/11. If the time has not come for the U.S. to beat its swords into plowshares, it is time for America to re-examine our needs.
Historically, a draft has been employed to counter foreign threats. Never has this nation faced as many since the Civil War. It is time we Americans should face a national security like a fire department — out of sight, out of mind, when times are good, but always ready to respond in an emergency. And a "true national service," should be for everyone with limited deferments.
In the Preamble to our Constitution, it is stated: "We the people shall provide for the common defense." By including these words, the framers established the principle that protecting our nation from hostile threats is a shared responsibility that rests foremost on able-bodied Americans. For "we the people" who have been given so much and have been so blessed as Americans, it's payback time.
Those who oppose a draft have only to look back at our GI Bill of Rights and Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps, the most massive national service program in all of U.S. history. Two million of our young workers built more than 63,000 buildings, 800 parks, 7,500 dams, and more.
We recognized this service to country as an investment in the future of our youth and a down payment on the future.
The president constantly reminds us that we are at war. It's time to treat it as such and reinstate a true national service.
"Call 'em up!" Uncle Sam! It's an investment in the future of all mankind, and it will give our 18-year-olds an appreciation of those who fought and died for our freedom. We can turn this country around easily — with 12 weeks of basic training, which will instill a sense of purpose and direction in the youth of today — our most precious national resource.
Editor's note:
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