Draft -- Would you go?

lol That's the consensus at the local VFW post here. My brother is 56 and still in the Army, so 55 isn't an obstacle, really.

 

They don't have hypotheticals in your neck of the woods huh?

 

Background: Thirty days after my 18th Birthday I enlisted in the Army. Viet Nam was still claiming the lives of young Americans. When I was filling out the necessary paperwork prior to taking the oath I was asked for my draft card.

I thought there was a misunderstanding.

"I'm enlisting. I wasn't drafted." The Sgt. said, "It doesn't matter. You still need to have a draft card in order to enlist."

I should have taken that as a sign of things to come.

So I went across town to sign up for the draft (required of all 18 year old males) and secure a draft card.

I returned to the enlistment office, surrendered to them the freshly issued draft card and then raised my right hand. I never saw the card again.

All in all, however, I'm glad i made the decision I did.

Now, knowing what I know about the military, would I do it again?

Heck yeah!

But, would I volunteer to serve in a war zone under the leadership of Barack Obama?

HECK NO!

 

A previous service member's return to uniform after age 34 is prohibited I think. But those who have served continuously can continue on until retirement age or sometimes even longer, IIRC.

 

His deferments are no more suspect than those of Cheyney (6 or 7 deferments) or G.W. Bush (special favors getting him into the Texas Air National Guard when there was a waiting list), all of them involved "favors" of well placed influential people. There is no indication of his actually breaking a law. and by 1969, he was put into the draft lottery, and his number was 311 (mine was 23). After that he was at no risk of being drafted.

 

There is what is known as Retired Regular and Retired Reserve...this encompasses both officers and enlisted; typically those with 20 + years retirees drawing pay

It gets somewhat complicated, but there are 3 categories...
Category I, II, III all subject to being recalled to active military service.

The Mobilization of Retired Regulars and Reserves has been standardized by Public Law 96-513, Sep 1983.
Age or disability alone may not be the sole basis for excluding a retiree from active military service during mobilization.

 

They cap many to 28 years now, unless you have some skill set they want to keep on longer. I'm not sure how much longer past 28 they will keep you; I'll have to ask him, or somebody who knows will post on it maybe. He made his promotion last year and is at 29 years in this year. ROTC with a master's degree.

 

I don't understand why so many people feel some sort of patriotism towards the interests of our US Gov. You aren't serving the people, you are serving them. Joining the military gets you a lot of ass kissing in this country and I find it hard to comprehend.

 

Helicopters do not fly. They're just so ugly the earth repels them.

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Helicopters do not fly. They're just so ugly the earth repels them.

 

There is mandatory retirement for regular officers after turning age 62. This is codified law found in Title 10 of the U.S. Code. Federal law sets mandatory retirement requirements. What you're referring to is 28 years of active commissioned service as an O-5 not on a promotion list to O6...retirement is mandated at that point.

10 U.S. Code § 633:

10 U.S. Code § 635:

10 U.S. Code § 636:

 

I didn't wait for the draft. I enlisted. I went all over Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. Picked up some trinkets. Got banged up pretty good.

They won't take me any more. Too old. Too busted up.

But if we continue getting into wars that are not necessary, we should have a draft. It isn't fair to make a dedicated few pay the price for the selfishness of the rest. Like taxes for so called "entitlements". Without them, only a few people would bear the load of helping the needy.

The rest simply whine about taxes. Or about the draft.

I hear some say "Freedom isn't free". Well it sure is for anyone who didn't go and pay a price for it. It was free for them.

Like Dick Cheney said 'That was not on MY agenga."

 

Respectable post. But what I don't understand is why don't you respect those brave, white American Aryan boys who perished and preserve the America they fought for?

 

I don't think i'd go. The reason is because I don't respect the government. They are not my people. I don't want to fight for a bunch of neocon Jews in some poorly planned unwinnable war for a foreign country that hates me and wants me dead.

If the war was for something like securing our race and freedom from Muslims then I'd volunteer, otherwise not.

Why?

 

Because military service is about serving the country. The decisions may not always (or even often) be agreed with, but we have to trust at some point they're the best that can be made under the circumstances. I respect our government even when I don't respect its leaders. Military members have faith that their service means something and helps their country. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't go either, at least willingly. But stupid civilian leaders aren't a reason to turn my back if my country calls.

 

Not really, there is still the money and the fact that it's our children that are dying

You capitalists are strange. You espouse the virtue of selfishness but then act as if not being called upon to die is shameful.

My own belief mirrors that of Robert A. Heinlein, who was not exactly known as a pacifist. "If a country can't protect itself without forcing people maybe it's not worth protecting"

 

If the war was genuinely for the country's benefit or interest i'll go, but my issue is that its normally not nowadays. I want to fight for my country, not Israel or some other foreign country.

I'll go and fight some wars even if I disagree with it, if its respectable and thought out.

I don't trust. Iraq is a good example. The leaders didn't even think through what will happen and it turned into this disaster. I don't want to risk my life or limbs unless I am sure of success or its a damn good cause. They owe us that. Its also important for me to respect the people sending me to war. I don't want to fight for some dumb coward draft dodger on a power trip. Do you think that will be responsible? Its our duty to not fight if its the wrong circumstance especially if it violates the constitution.

I don't think you should respect the government. Most of them are not very smart and they don't give a (*)(*)(*)(*) about you.

Serving in the military definitely means something and helps the country out, but my issue is that not all wars are good wars that help our country. Lots of wars actually make things worse.

True, if the country genuinely needs it I will go but in most cases wars can be avoided.

 

War is so much more convenient when you don't have to be personally involved.

 

Thanks. He was sweating his promotion last year and didn't want to retire. He can pass his physicals with ease at this point, and likes what he's doing currently.

 

It's always been up or out...and now with budget crunch time, they are pushing a lot of folks out the door. Some of this mandated retirement is codified law and some is just a sign of the times....yes even the military lays people off in lean times

 

Correct! I am 78, but my orders have not been rescinded. I would not be in trouble if I didn't show up, but I would anyway since I live only 10 miles from the post and can still instruct in Automatic Pilot and Navigation equipment repair. Of course they would send me home if it wasn't a massive mobilization.

 

The time allowed and grades change from time to time. But rule of thumb is above a given grade you can stay in as long as the military needs you and you are fit for duty. It used to be CW-4 in the Warrant corps but now I believe it is CW-5. And I know men who as a W-4 then W-5 after the new rank was established who stayed in for over 40 years. O-6 and up can stay in until they either want to retire or the military doesn't need them. I know E-8 and E-9 personnel who were in beyond 30 years. Times do change and needs change so there is nothing so etched in stone it can't be changed very quickly. When I retired at CW-4 I could not be promoted any more, I was in the highest warrant grade for the time. CW-5 came about later.

 

Wrong. By the time we entered the war Germany had already abandoned Operation Sealion and attacked Russia, England was under no imminent threat. We could just as easily have told Churchill 'NO' when he argued that the European Theater must take precedence over the Pacific. He was in no position to do anything about it but agree. Then deploy a couple P-38 groups to help out with your air defense while we concentrated on Japan. Germany might have declared war on us, but the fact is they had minimal capability to actually prosecute a war with the US.

 

I'm white, never been poor, and spent 20 years in the Air Force, including Desert Storm.

 

No they have not attack us.

 

I believe in freedom. I served by VOLUNTEERING to do so. Why should I or any other real American support violating the freedoms of others and forcing them to fight against their will?

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I hope you are joking. If you aren't, I just want you to know that people like you should be stripped of your citizenship and sent to live in somewhere you'd like more, like North Korea.