This debate is very simple to sum up. Quit sacrificing the lives of our brave men and women who enlist in idiotic foreign policy endeavors. If those who supposedly ran the show in Washington would adhere to this simple advice there would be no debate at all.

We're currently engaged in war against, wait does anyone remember what this war is against? Oh yeah terrorism. At least it was for, what was it, six months before we decided to topple a government that had nothing to do with terrorism against America? If we never invaded Iraq there would be no troop shortage. There would be no need to divert the National Guard from it's true mission of protecting the American homeland. There would be no need to even debate a hot potato issue like the draft. There would be no need to extend troops and place unneeded hardship on their families. Is that "Supporting the Troops?" It most certainly is not.

It's very easy to start a war. Beat those war drums. Talk about patriotism. Instill fear. Crush dissent. That's basically the recipe for war. However, it's a very tricky thing to end a war. Just ask LBJ and Nixon, and now I suppose you can put Bush Jr. in such stellar company as well.

I was a Marine during the 1990s. Being as there was no draft obviously I enlisted on my own free will. But I was also fortunate enough to serve during a time of relative peace. Of course, being a young man, well actually let's not be naive I was realistically just a kid, I didn't even realize at the time just how fortunate I was.

There's a lot of talk about joining up voluntarily, and how it equates to your right to voice grievances. I'm a little confused so just let me get this straight. If you're a kid just out of high school, you know next to nothing about world affairs, you cannot even legally order a drink, you still have that wondrous invincibility that adolescence provides, and even though you're technically an "adult" in the eyes of the law, but in reality you're a snot-nosed kid who cries the first night of boot camp, you cannot complain because you signed a contract that essentially strips you of your rights and disallows you the right to bitch about your destiny? At least that's the way I see it as a former snot-nosed kid who joined the Marines out of high school who just happened to be lucky enough to serve during a time of peace.

Don't get the wrong idea. I loved my service. I didn't always appreciate it at the time, but in retrospect it was the greatest time of my life. I got to travel and see places that I would have probably never saw if not for the Marine Corps. I met people from all over this country that I still maintain close friendships with today. And I got to learn about life, and become more of a man. The Marine Corps was nothing but good to me. But I wonder, would I feel the same nostalgia if a bogus war sprung up while I was in, or even worse, if I was conscripted? I doubt it.

Learn more about this author, Uzitotinbaby.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about US military service: Enlist vs. being drafted?
We want to hear your view. Write now!