Commentary on DRAFT

Greetings, all:
A litle comentary I wrote concerning the need for a draft. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hoping it comes to that, but it will soon. This may be the only light of day it sees, for some odd reasons. Read below:

We may be daft without the draft

For several weeks Cindy Sheehan, who lost a son in Iraq, and a number of others aggrieved by the war have been calling for President George W. Bush to pull out of what is left of that nation. Mr. Bush has responded with the usual (and repetitive) rhetoric of “staying the course,” and has refused to meet with Mrs. Sheehan.
Both of them have a point. For Mrs. Sheehan, the point is to prevent more American troops from meeting the fate of her son. I understand her pain, to a point – I knew five men who aren’t coming home. None of them, however, was my son.
Mr. Bush simply wants to make sure he finishes what he started. I agree with him that pulling out of Iraq now or anytime soon would be an admission of defeat, especially politically. Certainly, Saddam Hussein and his ilk needed to be gotten rid of, but the process was not well-thought out.
Our nation can’t sustain the consequences of pulling out now. We’re stuck in Iraq, quagmire or not.
Seemingly absent from this debate, though, is the simple question, “Can we stay the course in Iraq while maintaining America’s overall military security?”
The answer is even simpler: No, we can’t. Not for long.
If there were no other potential threats to America and its interests, say from North Korea, China, Iran and terror groups worldwide, I wouldn’t be so worried. But I fear that the current administration is wearing rose-colored glasses when it believes it can continue to sustain two wars (remember Afghanistan?) and continue to protect America’s flanks at the same time.
Iraq is not part of the war on terror. It’s a separate war initiated by the U.S. That war has resulted in even more terror and uncertainty. Despite all utterances otherwise by the Bush administration, that war is not going well.
Our military, especially the Army, is almost at the breaking point. The Pentagon has done everything it can to stimulate recruiting (lowering standards, raising upper age limits, creating new bonuses, etc.) – to little avail. Our military is getting thinner and more stressed every day.
Yeah, I’m going there. The draft must be considered, now.
The possibility of a draft was floated as a trial balloon last year, but there has been little serious discussion on it. There should be.
I don’t like the idea of a draft, but the time has come to take off the rose-colored glasses. If something happens elsewhere in the world that requires a large response from the U.S., our nation will not be able to respond appropriately.
Our National Guard and reserve forces have played a huge part in the wars in progress, and individual Guard and reserve units – by law, under the mobilization plan currently in effect – can only be involuntarily activated for two years out of a given five year period. Many are at, or close to, that limit and won’t be available for at least two more years.
Many active duty units are in, or are preparing for, their second tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are a number of service members who are on their third tour in a combat zone since 2001.
In the meantime, American security in other parts of the world has taken a nosedive as forces are moved to accommodate the separate wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The draft, or any type of conscription program, presents its own set of difficulties that the Pentagon needs to solve soon. Anyone forced into military service must be guaranteed equal benefits and training – tough, realistic training – for their service. They cannot suffer the same degradations as draftees of earlier generations; they must be a part of the total team, not just bodies to fill spaces. The lack of discipline seen to some extent among parts of the Vietnam-era military cannot be repeated.
The stakes are higher today, whether we believe it or not, than they were in 1968.
Furthermore, there can not be any deferments (other than documented mental or physical disability) if the draft is brought back. The draft must be applied equally, regardless of class or economic background. Keep in mind, folks, the reserves and National Guard isn’t the place to go to avoid today’s wars.
I served 10 months in Iraq. I know we have a first-class military, the finest fighting forces in the world. But the United States is suffering a case of tunnel vision, and what’s in the periphery needs to be considered too.
If this administration is on a war footing, it certainly isn’t acting like it.