David W. Barno writes in “A New Moral Compact,” about the current problem of having a volunteer military. He writes about the current war the United States is in as well as, previous wars like the Vietnam War. Barno’s main issue is that the population has distanced itself from the military and are less skeptical about going to war. He proposes, “. . .that every use of military force over 60 days would automatically trigger an annual draft lottery to call up 10,000 men and women” (20). Barno believes this will draw the population closer to the war effort eventually, becoming hesitant about going to war. Barno states, “It has also effectively lowered our national threshold for decisions to conduct military operations or go to war” (17). As war…
Young men fight and die for their country in every single war, and Vietnam was no different. However, U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, on average, were the youngest in American history. In previous wars many men in their twenties were drafted for military service, and men of that age and older would often volunteer. During the Vietnam War most of the volunteers and draftees were teenagers; the average age was nineteen. In World War II, the average American soldier was twenty-six years old. At the age of eighteen young men could join or be drafted into the army. At seventeen, with the consent of a guardian, boys could enlist in the Marine Corps. At the beginning of the war, hundreds of seventeen year old marines served in Vietnam. However, in November 1965, the Pentagon ordered that all American troops must be eighteen before being deployed in the war zone. The soldiers sent off to Vietnam can be divided into three categories: one-third draftees, one-third draft-motivated volunteers, and one-third true volunteers. As the war continued, the number of volunteers steadily declined. Almost half of the army troops were draftees, and in the combat units the portion was commonly as high as two-thirds; late in the war it was even higher. These were the majority of the people dying in the war, from 1966 to 1969, the percentage of draftees who died in the war doubled from 21 to 40. Those who could avoid the draft legally through deferments were the upper class, while those in the middle and lower class who didn’t want to fight in the war had to figure out ways to avoid the draft. Because the draft threatened middle and lower class males between the ages of 18 to 35, they united together through protests to oppose the draft by burning draft cards.…
A look at Race, Class and Immigration Status” by Amy Lutz, looks at the ethnic groups within the military. The article looks into the various ethnic groups within the military and their history of the groups service within the U.S. military. Latinos have a long history within the military; having served since the war of 1812(Lutz,169). The research shows that Latinos are the smallest group within the top 3 of Whites, Blacks and Hispanics, they are also not represented as high as blacks and whites within the military when compared to their percentage of the general population(Lutz,177).They are however overrepresented in areas where personnel handed weapons and underrepresented in technical operations(Lutz,170). The numbers also lead the author to conclude that members of lower socioeconomic classes are more likely to join the military, structed on these class lines (Lutz, 185). The higher the income within the family, the lower the likelihood of service(Lutz,179).This ties into the previous article which showed the focus on the low income areas. This information leads to the conclusion that We should see a rise in Latino participation in the military with the enhanced focus on the areas where they are the dominant race. With the more data…
Sometimes I wonder why someone will enlist to go to war and sacrifice his/her life for millions of people which they will never be going to meet or know his/her story. I know that these soldiers will have the hope that nothing wrong will happen on combat, and that on their return to this country, our society will repay them in a great way for the sacrifice to fight for our freedom, but little that we know, that most of the time is the opposite, we as a nation have turned our backs to all these brave people who not only gave their time and courage but a lot them pay with their life for a war in Vietnam that many still question up to this day.…
General Washington came and read us a talk, some parts that stood out to me was(Pain, 153) “ What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly”. The cowards who left the army when times got tough are (Pain, 153) “ The summer soldier and sunshine patriot”. I am fighting for my country, for love and respect. These are hard times But we can get through them. Even leaving at the end of your term is foolish as it will be spring and thing will be better. Stay and fight for your liberty so that we can all choose to do what we like. I can be brave and fight by re-enlisting because re-enlisting is the right thing to do.…
The want to serve one's country is a powerful theme around the world. Men and women from countries all around the world risk their lives to ensure the safety and protection of their country. Enlisting in one’s armed forces brings a strong sense of camaraderie and companionship to the soldiers, as they mostly stick with the same people they went to training with. There are also long lasting effects of going to war, such as PTSD, amputations, and various health conditions. One of the biggest things about enlisting is the emotional stress it puts on people’s loved ones. All of these points are evidenced time and time again in Trish Wood’s book, “ What Was Asked of Us” as it tells the accounts and stories of American men and women who fought in the Iraq war.…
There is a strong tradition of military service in immigrant families, but the lack of immigration status prevents many who…
America was founded on, and has been continuously defined by, extraordinary leaders. Without the tireless guidance and dedication of generations of these men and women, our country would never have grown into the renowned nation it is today. The ideals and values that these leaders embodied, and what our country has accomplished under their direction, has inspired me; I long to someday advance and defend this nation’s greatness through my leadership. This desire, paired with my passion for the military, is what has, and continues to, motivate me to attend a service academy. Furthermore, I wish to reciprocate the investment this country has made in me. Our country has provided me with access to exceptional opportunities, education, and freedoms;…
I have seen how many of the soldiers have fallen sick and if I leave Not only will the army be weaker, but then there is one less person to take care of the sick. (Busch, 147) .I won’t shrink away from the war like the sunshine patriot (Paine, 153). This reason is causing me to stay because I love my country and I am a Patriot. I am re-enlisting because I am a Patriot and I love my…
My Responsibility to America The United States of America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. Right now there are approximately 324, 118, 787 people living in the United States. Every single one of these people is part of the freedom we gained. We have freedom because of our Founding Fathers and the people of their time. They established the rights that we enjoy today.…
My responsibility to America is to be a model citizen. To me this means you take care of your family. It also means to lead by example. It can also mean to participate in the democratic process. A model citizen is a person who abides by laws, votes, serves their country in some way shape or form, pay taxes, and defends their rights and privileges.…
“According to US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, roughly 3.1 million Americans entered military service between 2001 and 2011, and nearly 2 million were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. In that time, more than 6,000 American troops have been killed, and roughly 44,000 wounded. Of returning service members, more than 18% have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and almost 20% have reported suffering from the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI)(Green).” The war in Afghanistan lasted longer than any other war in our history. Combat operations ended in 2014, but still today our military remains hidden on Afghanistan’s soil. What that means is men and women are still dying at the hands of worldly opposition. The impact of war doesn’t stop with the service member. It affects the service member’s family, their friends, their job (if they are in the reserves), and numerous other aspects of their lives. “As of 2009, the US Census reported roughly 118,000 active California service members. When you multiply that by the number of families and friends those soldiers left at home, the significance of the statewide impact becomes clear. In 2010 alone, 6,000 military recruits were from California. “The LA Times reports that as of August 25, 2014, 749 California service members from every…
There are over a million people currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, risking their lives for each and every American citizen, yet people don’t think about this and take their freedom for granted. Let’s take my cousin for example, her husband is in the Marines, and he is currently somewhere over seas. She is now living with my aunt, while he is away, with their one year old son. He has missed almost the entire second year of his son’s life to protect the citizens of this country, but the things is, the people they are fighting for…
Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska and is explaining in this text her point of view, and how she thinks that the youth are thinking when they enlist in the army. Her role in this topic is that she is of course a governor, but also a mother, whose son has joined the army. She has the statement that the reason why young people are choosing this, is because the American people are very patriotic and wants to protect their families.…
I believe in the soldier every little boy wants to become. By this I mean I believe in serving your country. As children we have all probably played army man and doctor, and we had fun. But what happened to that? Is it like the bad taste in our mouth? So very dry and disgusting finding out we have to actually work to achieve those? In my opinion I find it as a pride to look forward to, serving my country and protecting others. I like America I find I should serve it as my patriotic duty. I think we should support our service men and women too. Why aren’t we required to do a public service? I think it would boost the morale of America, if we all did a public service.…