Do You Feel A Draft?

Not since the Vietnam War has the phrase “military draft” been uttered with such frequency, as it seems to be today. Internet chat rooms and blogs are lighting up with rumors and articles of a re-instatement of a military draft. One U.S. congressman and one U.S. senator have gone so far as to introduce companion bills in both chambers of Congress to activate the Selective Service System.

Senate Bill 89 was introduced by Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., and the House Bill 163 has been introduced by Congressman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. These legislative pieces are entitled “The Universal National Service Act of 2003,” and, according to their text, will “provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons (age 18-26) in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for any other purposes.”

It should be noted that these bills have been sitting since 2003 in both the House and Senate committees on armed services, but are being re-introduced for debates as of April 19, 2004. More chilling evidence of an impending draft is that the link http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sss092203.html (which conveniently is not found anymore on the Department of Defense Web site. On this Web site, you would have seen a call to action announcement by the Selective Service System to become a local draft board member). There has not been such a call to fill draft positions and appeals board slots since Reagan was in office in 1981.

According to Rep. Charles Rangel, “We’ve failed to convince our allies to send troops, we’ve extended deployments so morale is sinking, and the President is saying we can’t cut and run. So what’s left? The draft is a very sensitive subject, but at some point we’re going to need more troops, and at that point the only way to get them will be a return to the draft.”

The Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive action against nations that are deemed hostile by the United States government is our new foreign policy subsequent to 9/11, and the President has threatened Syria, Iran, and North Korea repeatedly, characterizing each as the “axis of evil.”

The ongoing War on Terror in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq add pressure to the Pentagon to somehow fill military coffers with young men and women to prevent overstretching of our armed forces. Troop deployments have now doubled for many units in Iraq and reservists and National Guard units now have extended tours of duty when many never anticipated serving in active war zones, away from families, jobs, and relatives for six months or longer.

Military polls, including the Army’s Stars and Stripes newspaper, report poll findings show upwards of half the soldiers in Iraq saying that they are “not likely” or are “very unlikely” to re-enlist come time to do so.

William Thrower Sr., a retired sergeant major who served more than 30 years actively in the United States Army and also voluntarily served two tours in Vietnam, believes a draft is “not likely,” but does believe it would be a good thing for young Americans. “As a young man in the military the Army taught me three principles that have stuck with me till this day: self discipline, character and responsibility. Many youth today could use a great deal of these principles to help provide direction for so many who lack it.”

Thrower now owns the Express Boot and Shoe Care store in south Arlington, Texas. The walls in his store are covered with memories of his 30+ years of service, but most striking to me was the poster of a Vietnam veteran touching the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., and the reflections of soldiers in Vietnam-era uniforms seen on the wall as the veteran appears to weep. That picture helped me to reflect on the many youth who were drafted during Vietnam, many my age or younger, and the feelings they had as a draft loomed.

It is my belief that the youth today are not prepared for a draft if it were to be activated, nor are they paying much attention to the current foreign policy quagmire that we find ourselves in. If Senate Bill 89 and House Bill 163 are to pass and a draft is to be re-instated, I hope that the principles that Thrower learned by serving in our nation’s military will prevail in America’s youth as they inherit one of the largest foreign policy endeavors of the 21st century.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you feel a draft?

(Todd Hill is a Political Science Major who intends on transferring to Southern Methodist University.)