If we had a true citizen army draft again, involvement in foreign wars would plummet. That’s why they stopped the draft, the Vietnam war was unpalatable to the public at large when anyone’s child could get sent off to die. Deferments (such as for being in college or having “bone spurs”) were available, of course, which wasn’t exactly fair. But towards the end of the Vietnam war, the draft lottery was initiated, and nobody with a student deferment was safe, ushering in the all volunteer military so politicians could prosecute potentially unpopular military adventures all over the world.
Now, the military is simply a potentially lethal job. It trains people and pays them to Kill.
It should also be noted the military’s “no discrimination” policy has lifted many out of poverty, which has benefited minorities tremendously—but this outcome has come at a high price. Having an all-voluntary military has the downside that the nasty violence in our current stupid wars is inflicted disproportionately on those who serve, while the vast majority of the population goes on about its business hardly paying attention to the horrors of those wars.
If we had a true citizen army draft again, involvement in foreign wars would plummet. That’s why they stopped the draft, the Vietnam war was unpalatable to the public at large when anyone’s child could get sent off to die. Deferments (such as for being in college or having “bone spurs”) were available, of course, which wasn’t exactly fair. But towards the end of the Vietnam war, the draft lottery was initiated, and nobody with a student deferment was safe, ushering in the all volunteer military so politicians could prosecute potentially unpopular military adventures all over the world.
Now, the military is simply a potentially lethal job. It trains people and pays them to Kill.
It should also be noted the military’s “no discrimination” policy has lifted many out of poverty, which has benefited minorities tremendously—but this outcome has come at a high price. Having an all-voluntary military has the downside that the nasty violence in our current stupid wars is inflicted disproportionately on those who serve, while the vast majority of the population goes on about its business hardly paying attention to the horrors of those wars.