Anyone who has ever served in the military will tell you that no matter how much they either liked it or disliked it, it is something they are glad they did and wouldn't change the experience for anything. Our military today is part of a volunteer draft system, which means that the person is serving in the military on their own free will. As long as the world remains somewhat peaceful and our military is not stretched too thin, this will be the case. However, if World War III breaks out and our military is needed more places and with more numbers, it may not be enough to just ask people to join up and risk their lives. Most people wouldn't do so for either not believing in the conflict in the first place or come up with other reasons to avoid signing thier name on the dotted line. A mandatory draft may have to be instated and even the unwilling will be called upon to defend their country and the freedoms they have become so used to.
If there was ever such a need for a draft again, there will always be advantages of doing such a extrordinary measure and also disadvantages. People will react differently as with any other decision made by the government, the only diffrence in this one is that this decision will be putting American lives in harms way.
Pro's to such a decision will obviously be for our military itself. Our military force will grow and their will be more sailors and soldiers to use around the world without having the worry of not having enough, which is always a topic of worry to a volunteer draft. Along with numbers, the spirit of Americans will grow due to a sense of duty and brotherhood that comes along when our nation is at war. (Brisbane 2011)
Other advantages of a draft would be that people who are forced to join the military would be sent to usually a different number of skills to learn the trade in which they will be asked to perform. This will give them real world knowledge of something they could later use in their future to improve their lives or the lives of their families. (Brisbane 2011) A free education, even if it is not the education they have dreamed for, is never a bad thing.
It would also give people who have opposing views against the military and the use of the military action would be given a view of how it works and its importance without having to serve on the front lines. Not all jobs in the military put a gun in someones hand, and this too could help improve the relationships and views of the American people with our military.
Con's of a military draft are usually thought of more than the Pro's. People will believe their very freedoms are being violated by being made to fight for something they may not believe in or not believe in enought to take up arms. They might also feel that implementing such a draft would spark unpopular wars that are brought upon just because the country will not have the numbers to pull them off. (Richards 2011)
Althought numbers increase with a draft system, people who are forced into duty may not put as much care into what they are being asked to do, and the consequence of that could be a weak minded or weak willed military. Forced soldiers fighting poorly is almost as bad as having no soldiers at all. (Richards 2011) Lives will be put in danger if someone does not have their heart into a battle and the enemy will have a better chance of claiming a victory.
Another disadvantage is that people will start reacting with wasteful behaviors such as fleeing the country, joining unwanted schooling, getting married or even changing their emigration status. (Richards 2011) People will make more work for other agencies that are trying to help win a war rather than having to take care of paperwork derived from those who are trying to avoid it. This in turn will cause more chaos in our society right along with demonstrations and protest that seem to follow every war that the Untied States has ever joined.
The United States is a Nation of citizens who have become accustom to living life a certain way. Most live life without the worry of ever having to worry about serving in a war, for only one percent of our population will ever do so. If the time arises where these people are asked to join our military to fight, before picking up a sign and walking before Capital Hill, maybe they should remember that they only have these freedoms because of the countless many others who have died to give these freedoms to them. People easilly forget what they have is a result of blood spilled by maybe not the totally willing, but those who had the courage to put everything they had into making America into the great nation that it is today.
Works Cited:
Powers, Rod. US Military. What Happens During A Draft. (2011): 3-15. About.com. Web. 2011 http://usmilitary.about.com/od/deploymentsconflicts/a/draftprocess.htm
Brisbane, Herkermer. Pros in Military Reinstatement of the Military Draft. (2011)19-55. ehow.com. Web. 15 May 2011. http://www.ehow.com/info_8425772_pros-reinstatement-military-draft.html
Richards, Rebekah. Cons of Reinstating the Military Draft. (2011)7-30. ehow.com. Web. http://www.ehow.com/list_5888151_cons-reinstating-military-draft.html
