Mandatory Military service

[derekabraham]

Not my thing.

[SaltySteve]

Let say you picked at random 5000 Americans and 5000 people from a country mentioned in the original post. And then you arm them all equally and make them have a war. Who would immediately have the upper hand due to experience?

I think if Mexico or Canada were volatile and potentially threatening to America a lot of Americans would look at this much differently.

[Janster]

Originally Posted by pittim

What branch? I know age limit to enlist in the Marine Corps is 28, but Army is 40 or 42.

I have no idea.... I didn't get any details but it wasn't age related.

He said he took a bunch of tests and didn't pass something..?

[L8Rmike]

Originally Posted by janster

i have no idea.... I didn't get any details but it wasn't age related.

He said he took a bunch of tests and didn't pass something..?

asvab?

[El Diablo]

The United States has the highest trained and motivated military in the world today. One reason is because there is no conscription. Every single person is a volunteer. We all have our reasons for joining. Some because its just a job others because it's a calling or duty. I joined to serve my country like my father did before me. There are those that join and find out it's not for them. They develop an attitude and those are quickly dealt with. They will serve the remainder of the time doing shit work instead of more responsible jobs. Imagine if we had mandantory service, so many people with attitudes just doing their time, sweeping floors and cleaning walls. No thanks, I want to serve with people who want to be here.

[HerNameIsLucy]

Originally Posted by Janster

The 'bad character' kids need the discipline. Wonder how they could force those 'problem kids' into the military. Where do you draw the line for 'problematic' and not?

It can be done, but not truly by force per-say. I ended up in the Air Force because I was "involved" in a situation where someone was taken out in a field and got the crap kicked out of them (I was in the truck but didn't do the beating). The judge put the guy who did do the beating in jail, and I was given a choice..military or jail. Figured since I was in I may as well make the best of it, got a good education and some friends I still talk to 25 years later.

[cakmakli]

Don't need them and don't want them. All Services will meet their end-strength requirement. This is a number that is set by Congress and can not be exceeded. LINK

I really don't understand why anyone in the military would want a draft. We have the pay and benefits that we have now because it is a all volunteer force and have to attract volunteers. Ask anyone who served in the draft years how much they were paid and what the standard of living was.

Plus, I served three years in a country that had manatory draft. All male Turks have to serve and they are paid less then a dollar a day. I was talking to an Officer about this one time and he said, "Why should we pay them?" "We give them two uniforms, food, and shelter pus they have to serve anyway."

In today's Army we want professionals. We want individuals committed to doing a good job while having the satisfaction of serving their country. Like a previous poster said, we are not babysitters. If you don't want to be there then I don't want you. Don't have time for it.

[Janster]

Originally Posted by HerNameIsLucy

It can be done, but not truly by force per-say. I ended up in the Air Force because I was "involved" in a situation where someone was taken out in a field and got the crap kicked out of them (I was in the truck but didn't do the beating). The judge put the guy who did do the beating in jail, and I was given a choice..military or jail. Figured since I was in I may as well make the best of it, got a good education and some friends I still talk to 25 years later.

Wow..never knew they made that as an option. And what a blessing for some....

[HerNameIsLucy]

Originally Posted by Janster

Wow..never knew they made that as an option. And what a blessing for some....

Gotta remember that was 30 years ago. Dunno if they do that anymore. Hopefully I won't find out from one of my kids...

[JeffRock]

put the lazy ones in the kitchens, or cleaning bathrooms.
As for mandatory.. I know a lot of people who i would not trust with my life.

I keep thinking i should have signed up for twenty..

[dennyct@hotmail.com]

If there was mandatory military service in the US, there would be riots and demonstrations in the streets during contriversial wars. It happened during the Vietnam war and you know how history repeats itself. Voluntary service gives the military only the kids that want to be in the service which improves peformance and makes for a much better fighting force. I enlisted in the Navy during Nam and experienced this history close up oversees and in Washington DC.

[qballenko]

I think personally that its a bad idea. An old SGM of mine actually enlisted back during the draft. He was adamant about how much worse discipline was back than.

But to say that making mandatory service is a bad thing and would lower our overall ability and skill is somewhat debatable. Look at Israel they have the arguably the best Army in the world (just look at their track record) and half of their forces are conscripted. But then again you have to look at their society as a whole compared to ours. They have to average citizen that would make it a success, we don't. They know not everything is handed to them and they might actually have to work hard to achieve their goals.

Here is my idea. If you need government assistance to go to college you have to join the military service first. You must actually work for the tax money you will be spending to go to college. Or get rid of government financial aid as a whole. If you need government assistance to go through college you can get it through the GI Bill.

[JeffRock]

Originally Posted by qballenko

Here is my idea. If you need government assistance to go to college you have to join the military service first. You must actually work for the tax money you will be spending to go to college. Or get rid of government financial aid as a whole. If you need government assistance to go through college you can get it through the GI Bill.

The problem with that is most state collages are funded by the government.
Just because someone pays tuition doesn't mean they are paying the whole thing. Taxpayers pick up where tuition leaves off.

My brother is a teacher at the collage level, And when his freshman kids wise off and say "they" are paying for this, "They" Can do what they want. ... He informs them it is a state school, and the taxpayers pay most, or part of "their" tuition. And "they" had better straighten out, or get booted from his class for wasting taxpayer money. I find it funny.


it's a good idea.. trade off. but the military already offers college tuition programs.

[TheSchwartz]

Originally Posted by Brunes

There is no niche for stereotypical hippies or druggies-most folks in those groups have little to no desire the help the gov't....or people without skills or motovation. You speak Arabic...pretty serious specialized skill. Some of the guys I graduated HS with had no skills or work ethic.

I'm looking at it from a military middle level manager- I spend enough time working to fix problems for (finances, family life, qualifications, training, health) and problems with (performance, attitude, appearance) for folks who are volunteers...If I had to manage all the same things...but some tree hugger who is anti violence/war/military/authority/gov't is in my shop....It's going to be like herding cats. It's hard enough to mete out discipline now-a-days anyways...Mandatory would make it that much harder.

+1 Bad ideah from the Enlisted Mid managment prospective. Im having a hard enough time with people who are using the military as an escape from the real world just because they know that they get a check twice a month weather or not they preform. There unproductive and a hinderance on moral. Not to mention that i now have to spend my time on correcting the "problem" when they dont care in the first place. On the out side if an individual does'nt preform you can get rid of them, here not so much. so now i have to spend extra time on a "problem" that shouldent exist.

[thebigk]

Originally Posted by beastlytaco

what about just straight up civil service. Maybe not military but what about mandatory highway clean up and park restoration for like 1 weekend a month?

That's what prisoners should be doing every day instead of sitting on their asses watching TV & playing ping pong!

Back on topic

I'm not in favor of mandatory service. There are some people that have no business being in the military. Especially now days with the loonies we have running around.

It's a career decision.....just like anything else.

AMERICA......LAND OF CHOICES

[qballenko]

Originally Posted by JeffRock

The problem with that is most state collages are funded by the government.
Just because someone pays tuition doesn't mean they are paying the whole thing. Taxpayers pick up where tuition leaves off.

My brother is a teacher at the collage level, And when his freshman kids wise off and say "they" are paying for this, "They" Can do what they want. ... He informs them it is a state school, and the taxpayers pay most, or part of "their" tuition. And "they" had better straighten out, or get booted from his class for wasting taxpayer money. I find it funny.


it's a good idea.. trade off. but the military already offers college tuition programs.

I know that's one of the major reasons i joined up because I couldn't pay for college and my parents made to much money for me to get financial aid.

My point was that the government should stop paying student tuition period. The students that need money to go to college can get it through the GI Bill.

[beastlytaco]

well, one reason why I plan on joining the coast Guard is because of job security and the benifits when i get out. plus all the experience you recieve. Many people say its not for them, and they may be right, but, people need to start taking responsiblity for their actions and stop whining about life. Get out there and live it

[DanGer]

Originally Posted by qballenko

I know that's one of the major reasons i joined up because I couldn't pay for college and my parents made to much money for me to get financial aid.

My point was that the government should stop paying student tuition period. The students that need money to go to college can get it through the GI Bill.

I agree totally. The less people that are higher educated, the less job competition I will have.

[BravoZulu469]

I think mandatory military service could be great for society. It can give people a nice solid foundation for the rest of their lives and something to look back on as a great achievement and develop a greater appreciation for this country but maybe I'm biased. Semper Fi

[REVHARD25]

i think all people who are put in prison for more than 5 years should have to go to boot camp and become somebody