 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Gary A. Bloxham Ebbtide Staff Last January, Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.) introduced legislation to reinstate the draft. While this proposed legislation is not likely to be passed in a Republican administration, it is thought-provoking and highlights several important issues. Rangel's principal purpose in this legislation was to introduce both Congress and the American people to the concept of the shared burden of war. Conyers brought this issue into focus in January when he said, "It has unfortunately become the duty of someone else's child to go to war and die, as the privileged evade the tragic consequences of war." Under our present all-volunteer system, Rangel said, "Blacks and poor Americans have borne an unfair burden of military service." This point was emphasized in an opinion piece Rangel wrote in January for the New York Times, in which he said, "The Congress that voted overwhelmingly to allow the use of force in Iraq includes only one member who has a child in the enlisted ranks of the military." There should be no question; the burden of war is not being democratically distributed. In the minds of those who witnessed the Vietnam anti-war demonstrations, it was the pain of those who suffered that helped to bring an end to that conflict. For those of our legislators who view war as simply a tool of our foreign policy, it is crucial that they fully understand the consequences. One hopes the act of proposing this legislation will make our Congress more aware of the potential costs. One issue seems to be forgotten in the national debate about the draft. The draftees, and those who enlist just one step ahead of the draft, bring some very unique qualities to our military services. They come from all walks of life. The important thing that they bring to our armed forces is a range of values and perspectives. They simply do not all walk, talk and think alike. This diversity is not common in professional military organizations. By their very nature, such organizations tend to develop a common perspective. With a wide range of backgrounds, skills and education, the draftee has the capacity to question whatever he encounters in the service. The commissioned officers and enlisted men who join the armed forces due to the draft have no long-term allegiance to the military. The result is that they have a very low tolerance for the things that the military does simply because "that is the way we have always done things." The collision between the draftees and the professional soldiers results in a low-level confrontation. This conflict, evident during the Vietnam War, tends to ensure that the military retains its commitment to the goals of our society. Professional soldiers are not likely to put their careers at risk to bring about change, as is someone who has nothing to lose as a consequence of the debate. In large institutions such as our military, this pressure to change is critical, but it does not come from the organization's own inertia. History has countless examples of the horrible consequences of the military's failure to acknowledge changing circumstances that required new tactics and improved equipment. Short-term soldiers, inducted into military service, bring a unique and important impetus for change. When our founding fathers wrote our Constitution, they were against a central government with a large standing army. In the world today, it is almost impossible for our nation to fulfill the goals of our founding fathers, but we can remain steadfast in the spirit of their intent. A democratically conscripted military will enable us to maintain our armed forces with the character intended by our founding fathers. The draft will assure that our military remains dedicated to the goals of our society, and does not become an institution dedicated to its own values and objectives. With members of the armed forces coming from the full spectrum of our society, everyone will have a more personal understanding of the price one pays when we use war as a tool of foreign policy. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
||||||||||||||||||