Bring Back the Draft

In case you missed it, Dr. Marc Osman, U.S. Army (Ret.), wrote a letter to the Austin American Statesman that appeared in this morning’s paper. As a follow-up to my previous post titled, “The Cocoon of Self-Indulgence,” this is his letter:

“It doesn’t take rocket science to realize that when our brave service people are asked to do five and sometimes more deployments into combat zones, the levels of anxiety and depression that potentially lead to suicide will be high. If we are going to fight extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then we need to bring back the draft.

“Everyone age 18-21 should be asked to serve two years. World War II only lasted 3 1/2 years. In Vietnam, servicemen were made to deploy for only one year. Additional deployments were voluntary.

“If the draft were brought back, service in South Asia could be limited to one year except for voluntary redeployments. If we are serious about the war, then we need a commitment from everybody.

“It’s too easy to sit on the sidelines and remain detached from the conflict. Just saying ‘we support our troops’ doesn’t cut it.”

As much as I agree with Dr. Osman, I take issue with two things: 1) don’t ask 18-21-year-olds to serve, because that won’t work, and 2) don’t fight extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The answer is to let #1 take care of #2. Then and only then will those who currently sacrifice nothing change the fact that our failed foreign policy is paid for with the blood of a few.

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