Introduction
This essay provides reasons why a mandatory period of national service (either civilian or military) for all young U.S. citizens is not a good idea. The concept of universal service arises from time to time, and in this instance surfaced following remarks made by General Stanley McChrystal at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival. He is quoted as saying that “our notion of ‘service’ had become dangerously narrow, with less than one percent of Americans serving in our military, and challenged us to explore new pathways and opportunities for service to country.” Those remarks of his triggered the Aspen Institute to launch a ...
