Originally Posted by Chief Bones

If the question is "Should it be a moral obligation to serve your country for a finite amout of time?", then I would answer YES.

If the question is "Is there an obligation to serve our country?". then the answer is NO.

Citizenship is something which most Americans take for granted - however - as the veteren members of this forum know with absolute certainty, freedom has a price. The price has been paid by past and present warriors everytime they set foot in a combat zone to carry out the orders of their superiors and that price was usually tendered by the blood of our military members.

Will there ever be a time when the moral obligation becomes a legal reality - I CAN'T REALLY SEE IT HAPPENING.

Unfortunately, I think you are correct. I would love to see UNIVERSAL conscription! Wouldn't it be nice if all those little rich liberals from Harvard had to spend a couple of years polishing boots and scrubbing latrines?

I would be satisfied if the Universal Conscription was more in the line of service to the United States in a "Peace Corps" way - it wouldn't have to be in a military corps. Serving in some of our poorer areas to help bootstrap these communities into the twenty-second century would go a long way to alleviating conditions which contribute to this country's high crime rates.

Service to country in this manner would be as important as service to country in a military service.

Originally Posted by bulldogg

It should be an obligation

I have watched documentaries from USA and showes like Jerry Springer, Cops etc.

And my conclusion is this: Be aware for what you wish for!

When US used the draft under Vietnam the "blue on blue" statistics werent the best i`ve seen.....

However I feel everybody have and obligation to serve their country, but maybe not everbody should do it the military way....

Ace
If you were comparing apples with apples and oranges with oranges and your post was in line with the subject of this thread, then what you posted 'might' make some sense.

What we have been discussing is whether every American owes an obligation of service to his/her country ... not the latest ratings on television (Jerry Springer comment).

When you are talking about the old military conscript of the sixties you are talking about a time in our history where 80% of our population were rioting in our streets protesting against an unwanted war. It wasn't a good time to use as a reference about 'blue-on-blue' statistics.

I am very aware of what I am advocating, thanks for your concern. I must ask though just what does Jerry Springer and Cops tv shows have to do with this discussion, could you enlighten me as to your line of thought Ace?

It seems to work ok for Switzerland and Israel. I like the idea of service for citizenship. I do agree with the previous assertions that it need not be military service, though. Perhaps a required two year term in the military versus a three year term in civilian service. Allow it to be completed within ten years of the eighteenth birthday to allow for finishing high school and college if desired. At the ten year plus one day mark, if you haven't given service voluntarily, a van pulls up in front of your house...

I'm all for the selective service and a draft in time of need, but mandatory military service? I'l pass. I can respect those that feel obligated to go into the military and I can pity those that have no other choice. I'm neither and unless my country calls upon me to do so, I have no intention of joining the military.

my point to this tread was, that there is alot of "crazy people" out there that will join the armed forces if the communities/culture pushes them in that direction because the culture is that everybody shall feel an abligation.... We have draft in Norway, and you wont belive some of the individuals that show up for duty.... Makeing military service less attractive will result in that just thoose who are really interested joins. If you remove the Ramboes, ill think you`ll have succsess.
PS: This will demand a huge population to recruit from....

Hmmmmm, me thinks there is wisdom in your words, derka derka, mohamed jihad, derka derka allah? Jerry Springer, a bakala?

A draft can only work in nations like Israel, who is surrounded by enemies and needs to have the world's most technologically advanced Army and Air Force on constant readiness, India, who shares a large border with two other states with whom it has been fighting an on again off again war for several decades, and China, which has a totalitarian government that can give it's people the choice to either join the Army or disappear.

Although I think today's youth (including myself) could learn a lot from the kicking that would be basic training I think it is incredibly unreasonable to require everyone in a nation of 300,000,000 to serve, we have the world's most powerful military and economy so obviously we must be doing something right and when you have a streak going you don't do anything to mess with it.