Will the Draft Come Back to the USA?

[disneyfan67]

Pray tell...please tell us about YOUR military service record.

I'm not usually in the habit of defending Revy, but if I'm not mistaken he has mentioned his military service and I think it was the Air Force. I swore I read something about it on a thread around last winter or so. I believe that gives him more than enough right to be in the thick of these type of debates and deserves his opinions to be heard. I never served and there's times I regret it. That's why you won't see me slugging it out on these threads too much. Anyone who puts on the uniform of our armed forces and serves this country deserves a little more respect than the normal, ordinary American citizen receives, IMO.

 

[LuvDuke]

Pray tell...please tell us about YOUR military service record.

Wvrevy, I believed, served in the Air Force.

Another talking point shot out of the saddle.

 

[wvrevy]

Thanks for the help, folks. It's greatly appreciated!

Yes, I served in the USAF from '93 to '97. But I don't think that makes me any better or worse than anybody else, and certainly not any better than those that served in the Guard during peacetime, let alone now. Again...my point was in regards to people that went into the Guard to avoid service during Vietnam, and that not being the case anymore due to the Guard's misuse under this president.

As for jimmiej...you'll never convince him. He's a "true believer" and frankly just seems to dislike anyone that doesn't agree. Personally, I think I can live with it.

 

[salmoneous]

NG=chicken

It's a historical fact that some people who were afraid of going to Vietnam avoided service by joining the National Guard. When discussing how a draft today would be different from a draft then, you have to recognize that option is no longer available since today's Guard is much more likely to engage in overseas combat.

If somebody suggests that everyone who joins the national guard is a chicken, I could see you getting offended. That wasn't the case here. But we can't deny that some people did join the guard because they were scared of going to Vietnam. Stating that fact shouldn't be offensive.

 

[Charade]

It's a historical fact that some people who were afraid of going to Vietnam avoided service by joining the National Guard. When discussing how a draft today would be different from a draft then, you have to recognize that option is no longer available since today's Guard is much more likely to engage in overseas combat.

If somebody suggests that everyone who joins the national guard is a chicken, I could see you getting offended. That wasn't the case here. But we can't deny that some people did join the guard because they were scared of going to Vietnam. Stating that fact shouldn't be offensive.

You are correct. But I have to wonder how many Democrats joined the NG or sent their kids off to college to avoid the draft? How many of them ran off to Canada? I think it's unfair (I know you didn't) to say that Republicans were the only draft dodgers during that period.

 

[cardaway]

I think it's unfair (I know you didn't) to say that Republicans were the only draft dodgers during that period.

What's unfair is making out like anybody posted that. Nobody posted anything of the kind.

 

[Charade]

What's unfair is making out like anybody posted that. Nobody posted anything of the kind.

Besides...you think the Republicans want their kids to have to fight this war?!? They can't even go the National Guard chicken route the way Shrub did, since the National Guard is now doing much of the fighting in this war.

Really?

 

[cardaway]

Really?

Did you leave something out? I still don't see anything about there not being Democrats doing those things. Everybody knows there were.

It was an ugly time and part of the reason we got rid of that msitake called the draft.

 

[Charade]

Did oyu leave something out? I still don't see anything about there not being Democrats doing those things. Everybody knows there were.

No, I didn't. There wasn't anything about Democrats. As usual. But Republicans always get the majority of those comments tossed their way. Always.

 

[salmoneous]

Again, here is your exact quote:

I think it's unfair (I know you didn't) to say that Republicans were the only draft dodgers during that period.

Even you have to admit that nobody said, hinted or implied that Republicans were the only draft dogers during that period.

PS - If you think that people only say this about Republicans, do a quick google search on "Clinton Draft Dodger" and see how many hits you get.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Most of the people who were able to avoid the war in Vietnam were the "well connected" or the wealthy. It wasn't really about party affiliation, it was more about the size of the wallet or the sphere of influence. I doubt that anyone has done a study, but I would hazard a guess that there were plenty on both sides of the aisle.

 

[cardaway]

PS - If you think that people only say this about Republicans, do a quick google search on "Clinton Draft Dodger" and see how many hits you get.

It existed long before that. I heard it all the time since my dad was always good for a line or two about how people in both parties worked the system to get out of going there. Given how bad things were he never really got over that.

 

[jimmiej]

As for jimmiej...you'll never convince him. He's a "true believer" and frankly just seems to dislike anyone that doesn't agree. Personally, I think I can live with it.

I am a true believer in conservatism. I don't mind disagreement any more than you do. I was not debating a political issue here, but rather commenting on your choice of words.

 

[jsmith]

Okay since i started the whole thing by flying off the handle-lemme toss a couple other things out there-umm there WERE national guardsmen who got called up and sent to vietnam-not 400,000 of them-and only in certain specialties-but about 38,000 of them.There were also thousands of Guardsmen mobilized for the Korean Police Action. I wasnt taking offense at the shot at bush-i knew thats what it was-im actually very bright girl with a fair knowledge of politics-just the implication that joining the Guard-at any time -was chicken.
And-it was a Democratic adminstration that put us in the postion of having to use the Guard the way it is being used now-i object to the term mis use since its very clear in the enlistment contract when you join that you can be called up for regular military service at the discretion of the leadership of the country-it wasnt a secret to ANYONE in the National Guard that they could have to serve. but it was the draw down in active forces and the shift of a good portion of end strength to the reserve component-along with decisions made by the pentagon to put some military specialties like civil affairs and physops-along with some combat service support funcitons entirely in the reserves that got us here.-Those things occured LARGELY after the first gulf war under the Leadership of Mr Clinton. He was of course making the decisons that he thought were best at that time-but-in 10 years hind site-maybe not so much.
Oh and one more fact for all of you the guard as a way to dodge the draft folks-soldiers who are enlisted in the national guard before the age of 18-still have to register for the draft-and that was true in the 1970's as well.

 

[Uuaww]

damn selective service...

 

[manning]

Umm...I was talking about Bush's (and other rich kids) dodge into the Guard during Vietnam (which I thought was rather obvious ). I even stated that the Guard is no longer that kind of an outlet, since those folks are doing a very large part of the work in Iraq now-a-days. I wasn't insulting your husband, or his service. I was insulting those that used the guard 40 years ago to get out of real service to their country.

But, by all means...please feel free to take my comments completely out of context. Also glad to see that differing opinions make someone "unworthy" of NATIONAL GUARD assistance. Glad you know so much of what the constitution of this country says about free speech.

The guard was doing it's share of fighting in Vietnam. Even heard of some coming out of active duty into guard or army reserve and ending up back in Vietnam.

Don't know what it is now but back then you had a six year obligation. If you got drafted you served two years active duty then 2 years active reserve and two years inactive reserve. Some like me where lucky in that I was in an area where there were more than enough signing up for the guard/reserve that I was not assigned a unit, so I only served 2 years active duty. But in those final four years I was subject to recall.