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The statement begs the oppositional position; is an 'all volunteer' army immoral?

I grew up on the 1960's. In college, we all gathered around John as he cried when he received his draft notice. He placed low in the lottery, as I recall he was a number 3. There was no chance he would not go. Except that he was very effeminate. We all hoped he would be declared unfit. Not the days of "don't ask, don't tell". To the gratefulness of many an individual, his family and friends, those were the days of homosexuals not being allowed to serve. He did not go, to my knowledge. I always assumed he was able to get out of it.

Had he been black, poor, or unable to go to college, or to afford a doctor to declare him what he needed to have declared, it would never have been a thought in anyone's mind. He would be in Vietnam very, very soon after getting the letter.

Zoom to the "all volunteer' army.

You tend to go in, and generalizations can be overreaching - there are true patriots and believers among us, and I salute those people, if you are in a lower economic class, or non white. It is the reality. Today there is still a disparity in education and position in society. For a number of people the military may be one of the few options available..

If so, then it is not a completely voluntary decision. It is the only way they can better their education or afford health care or for some, even find shelter.

When I was 23, and a college graduate, my roommate came home one day to tell me she had joined the Air Force. It was something I had never considered but we wanted to stay together so I decided to join.

I had some medical issues and my personal physician would not give me the necessary approval. Sergeant *, my recruiting officer, told me not to worry. "We need college grads. We can get a doctor who will pass you."

I declined and have regretted the decision ever since. She benefited greatly from her time in the Service. The Air Force paid for her Master's degree, she traveled, she met her future husband.

The government provides medical insurance for them and lifetime coverage at the VA if needed.

My private doc was right. A few years later I became disabled. I have always regretted my decision to listen to my own doctor rather than the recruiter's. Had I done so I would not have to spend hours upon hour of worry about how I can continue to afford my insurance, doctors, and medications.

Worry about that should not be what informs my decision if I had the choice to join today.

It does inform the choice for many.

The draft, absent deferments for the wealthy, college bound or other reasons, absent medical or hardship such as sole support of a family, is the least immoral of ways to have an army.

No commercials about join the Army and we'll give you so many dollars worth of bonuses or send you to college or whatever most recent bargain they are offering.

The playing ground becomes level.

There will always be wars. A country has a right to defend itself and its values. The question of which one is moral or worthy is a separate issue but as long as there are wars there will be armies.
If you accept that proposition then the draft, i.e. an army that considers all citizens as equals and calls on all to serve, regardless of status, wealth, color, race, etc, is not immoral.

Learn more about this author, Carol Levy.
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