I believe the DRAFT is coming........

[rhino 0]

What do you think? A whole lot of IRR are being called to Active Duty.

Rhino

[kelpdiver 2]

But those people can be called up - they signed up for that possibility. Drafting is a different game, and due to class issues I think a Democrat would have to propose it.

Reintroducing the draft is on par with trying to reform Social Security. You'd have to have a pretty compelling need for it, and frankly I don't think anything overseas will ever qualify. If Congress and recruitment can't increase the number of soldiers, then we'll have to carefully choose our battles as we can't do many at the same time anymore.

[rhino 0]

I hope you are right.. I just have a feeling about it..

[DrunkMonkey 0]

As a USAF Officer, I really wouldn't want the draft. The headaches that would accompany thousands of unwilling draftees would not be worth it, IMHO.

[ozthebum 0]

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What do you think? A whole lot of IRR are being called to Active Duty.

Rhino

Not only are a bunch of IRR being called up, but I know of officers that never "resigned" their commisions being called back after years of being out of the military.
To answer the question...I don't see the draft coming back. Currently the Army is involved in the stop-loss, the IRRs, the callbacks, along with the Air Force is sending airmen to drive in conveys and training them in squad tactis along with the fact that the Army is currently paying Air Force and Navy people up to $10,000 to join the Army when they get out of their branch. Also, I've "heard" that some of the troops being pulled out of South Korea in the up-comming re-order of troops is to go to Iraq. Take all this info however you want to take it, but I don't expect the draft to come back...just IMHO.

[PhillyKev 0]

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Not only are a bunch of IRR being called up, but I know of officers that never "resigned" their commisions being called back after years of being out of the military.

And people who entered delayed entry, like high school students, were called up before their official entry date.

[jdhill 0]

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but I know of officers that never "resigned" their commisions being called back after years of being out of the military

That may be true, but they are not disapproving resignations when they come in...

In fact my Honorable Discharge came in the mail the other day... took less than two weeks from when I sent my letter.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[jdhill 0]

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like high school students

Are they being called before their graduation? I doubt it... Even now, the Army does not want non-grads.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[tunaplanet 0]

The draft is both good and bad. It's good in the sense that it may become neccessary. We may encounter a situation where we are faced with multiple major conflicts that will stretch our forces too thin.

It;s bad in the sense that you will get people who don't want to be there and are unmotivated, therefor endangering the lives of our volenteer soldiers.

It only takes one coward who is drafted who didn't enlist himself because of some bullshit excuse like severe migranes, asthma, ect.

Forty-two

[PhillyKev 0]

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Are they being called before their graduation? I doubt it... Even now, the Army does not want non-grads.

No, didn't mean to imply that. But a lot of people enlist while in school with an entry date the following fall so they can spend one last summer with friends or family. They got called right after graduation.

[jdhill 0]

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entry date the following fall so they can spend one last summer with friends or family.

When I was a recruiter, grated it was a few years ago, getting a fall ship date for a HS student was the exception rather than the rule... and only happend with certain MOS's, based on school dates... If they did something that required an MOS change, some run in with the law being the most likey, a quick ship would make sense... the enlistment contract is fairly sacred on the Army's side, even if it's not on the DEP's...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[PhillyKev 0]

Well, me and 2 friends in high school all enlisted around the same time in early spring. Me, navy nuclear engineering, Tony air force MP, and Mat who drove a tank in the Army. All of our ship out dates were in September. I was diagnosed with Asthma after swearing in and receive and entry level discharge. Tony spent most of his time in Hawaii, and Mat drove a tank into Iraq after the Republican Guard during desert storm.

[bch7773 0]

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It;s bad in the sense that you will get people who don't want to be there and are unmotivated, therefor endangering the lives of our volenteer soldiers.

the real bad part about the draft is the fact that it takes away our freedom... no longer is it a choice to serve in the military, now its forced upon you. and yes i know that there is a choice between national guard or active military, but its still a forced choice.

if the US ever gets into a WW3 and is in danger, or needs to help out allies (like in WW2), then yes, the draft is a good thing. but as it stands now, i think the draft is a bad idea.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[TheAnvil 0]

Doubt it.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[CrazyIvan 0]

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the real bad part about the draft is the fact that it takes away our freedom... no longer is it a choice to serve in the military, now its forced upon you

I don't think so, if by drafting people we are going to REASSURE our freedom, dude, hand me an M16.

Sometimes you have to do what's necessary, forget about choice.

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[jdhill 0]

I would assume, based on the DS reference, the you enlisted in 1990 or so... 14 years ago... the onset of the "peace dividend"... when the forces were cut (by both the Bush (41) and Clinton administrations) too far, we had to play catch-up in the late 90's... HS Sr's shipped in June or July for the most part... September at the latest, and only for certain MOS's (that only had 2 or 3 class dates per year). If you had already graduated, and weren't in college you shipped in roughly 30 days.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[PhillyKev 0]

Yep, it was 90. Was your 30 day timeframe a rule or just something you pushed for? I'm pretty sure the regulations were and still are that you can enlist and set your date anytime up to 365 days away.

[Tonto 1]

Yeah, but you also believed there were WMD's...

Lets hope you're consistant.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Nightingale 0]

I had 5 or 6 high school friends who enlisted in the marines. They all shipped out the September after high school (1996), to all different jobs. Dunno if that's standard now.

[Tonto 1]

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It only takes one coward who is drafted..

Really? You think there are no cowards among those who have volunteered? What they see in the movies, what their recruiter said and what happens in real life are WAY different. People get to know themselves and their friends real well, real quick under fire - and being drafted is no garentee of cowardice or bravery.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[jdhill 0]

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30 day timeframe a rule or just something you pushed for

It was based on school dates, for the MOS enlisted for... 365 days was for HS seniors... I you enlisted in the begining of your senior school year, say in September, you may be able to get a September ship date the following year, again based on the MOS... If you enlisted as soon as you were eligable, 364 days from your graduation date, you shipped the day after your graduated... for Grads the system would only let you look 90 days out, beyond that you had to get an exception, and you had to have justification.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[newsstand 0]

Vietnam Veterans of Florida State Coalition

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The image of those who fought in Vietnam is one of poorly educated, reluctant draftees -- predominantly poor whites and minorities. But in reality, only one-third of Vietnam-era veterans entered the military through the draft, far lower than the 66 percent drafted in World War II.

Bold added. I can't find an original source for this but see similar numbers presented several places. Sounds like our "greatest generation" was made up mostly of draftees.

Now how a modern day draftee would act vs. one from my fathers generation is a different matter.

"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Nightingale 0]

Personally, I'd like to see a law that the draft cannot be implemented unless the white house has asked for and received a formal declaration of war.

[jdhill 0]

I fairly sure it will take a law to enact a draft in the first place... why pass a law to say that we won't pass another law unless there is a war, when that law could be repealed by another law?

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[Zenister 0]

hmm so you dont think an administration should have to provide enough justification to actually declare war before implementing a draft?

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.