Draft for Public Service &/or Military Service

Parents Forum
1

<p>Within the Service Academy forums, we have had several comments pro/con about reimplementing the draft so everyone would put in military service to their country. It has also been suggested that we incorporate a public service requirement as an alternative. I am cross-posting our discussions there are <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=143534%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=143534&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>We have a lot of intelligent folks out there from many different persuasions I would like to hear from. Without inflamatory comments, could we try to discuss how something like this could possibly work? Since I am starting this thread, I am making 2 huge assumptions:
1 - funding is not an issue and
2- M & F would have to serve between ages 18-21 for min. 18 months. </p>

<p>My rationale is that the last time of the draft, it was only for males and only those with low draft numbers (it was a lottery!) had to serve in active service and there were lots of possible "outs" (e.g. Clinton & Bush). </p>

<p>Personally, I can think of many variants on the Peace Corps, Job Corps, Americorps, Park Service, municipal services, etc. that could use energetic young labor as well as our armed services.</p>

2

<p>Colleges and Universities would oppose it. No military draft will ever be imposed. If there were one now, thousands of people would be in the streets protesting the Iraq war,and the military knows it.</p>

3

<p>I think that Idad is right. In fact, Anna Quindlen had an article entitled "Hell No, They Won't Go," about how the Vietnam-protesters-now-parents will march again to keep this generation of kids (our own) from being lost in a questionable war. It's excruciatingly unfair how hard this war is on just a few, while the rest of the country pays no sacrifice. But I doubt that the country believes in the war, so I think the status quo will prevail.</p>