Friday, March 26, 2004
The Draft?!
This article from Dateline Alabama talks about the role of women in a bill currently before the Congress that seeks to reinstate. . . the draft.
Excuse me?
Fear not, the piece states clearly that the proposed legislation has little chance of passing. But that it has been run up the flagpole at all speaks to the desperate straits that our military now finds itself in.
As this Charles Pope article from last November shows, the military has been concerned for some time now about our nation's diminishing troop capability.
The main thrust of the article is this:
"Whether or not a draft is reinstated, debate about troop strength and the commitment to Iraq will continue. The United States has more than 130,000 soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, a deployment that has virtually drained the Army of its troops. One division remains in the United States."
Perhaps, like me, you've noticed a much larger than normal number of military ads on Tv these days. This Stars and Stripes article(another 'liberal media' outlet) reveals that even last year there was a good deal of mixed feelings even among troops on the ground about the war effort.
The real issue has to do with the National Guard. Back during Vietnam joining the Guard was a way to 'get out' of going into combat. Today, 40% of our current strength on the groung in Iraq comes from Guardsmen. This Boston Globe article noted that:
"(T)he U.S. Army fell short of its re-enlistment goals this fiscal year, "largely the result of a larger than expected exodus of career Reservists, a loss of valuable skills because such staff members are responsible for training junior officers and operating complex weapons systems."
Weekend warriors are no longer buying that tale the military has been peddling successfully for a while now, leaving a new draft as a real possibility to fill our current and growing need in Iraq.
This article from Dateline Alabama talks about the role of women in a bill currently before the Congress that seeks to reinstate. . . the draft.
Excuse me?
Fear not, the piece states clearly that the proposed legislation has little chance of passing. But that it has been run up the flagpole at all speaks to the desperate straits that our military now finds itself in.
As this Charles Pope article from last November shows, the military has been concerned for some time now about our nation's diminishing troop capability.
The main thrust of the article is this:
"Whether or not a draft is reinstated, debate about troop strength and the commitment to Iraq will continue. The United States has more than 130,000 soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, a deployment that has virtually drained the Army of its troops. One division remains in the United States."
Perhaps, like me, you've noticed a much larger than normal number of military ads on Tv these days. This Stars and Stripes article(another 'liberal media' outlet) reveals that even last year there was a good deal of mixed feelings even among troops on the ground about the war effort.
The real issue has to do with the National Guard. Back during Vietnam joining the Guard was a way to 'get out' of going into combat. Today, 40% of our current strength on the groung in Iraq comes from Guardsmen. This Boston Globe article noted that:
"(T)he U.S. Army fell short of its re-enlistment goals this fiscal year, "largely the result of a larger than expected exodus of career Reservists, a loss of valuable skills because such staff members are responsible for training junior officers and operating complex weapons systems."
Weekend warriors are no longer buying that tale the military has been peddling successfully for a while now, leaving a new draft as a real possibility to fill our current and growing need in Iraq.
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