Hi everyone. I'm back after spending a lot of time working on our new radio network, Nova M Radio www.novamradio.com. I have not run out of ideas to write about. I just have not had the time.
The failure of the Army to meet its recruitment standards has opened the door for the worst possible recruits available to the armed forces. Essentially the new recruitment policy is a moderate version of the movie The Dirty Dozen which was one of my all time favorite war movies. As you may recall in the movie, the Army recruited 12 of the worst criminals to embark on a dangerous mission into France just before D-Day. I guess the military is now so desperate that serving with our brave young troops will be a bunch of criminals and low lives who may be as dangerous to our troops as they are to the enemy. I served in the military from 1968-1970 when there was a draft and I can tell you first hand that some of your worst enemies were your own comrades in arms. What was sometimes called friendly fire was really premeditated murder. But, that was a long time ago. Perhaps things have changed today, but I seriously doubt it.
My solution would be to have a limited draft for the National Guard, Reserves, and the Regular Army. To mitigate the danger of being sent to a combat zone, the new draftees would only be required to serve in the U.S. unless they volunteered for combat duty. Surely the young men and women of draft age in this country could be assigned to the "home guard" that has virtually disappeared and is dangerously undermanned. With most of the Reservists and National Guard serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. is very vulnerable to domestic terrorism and natural catastrophes without a fully manned and equipped National Guard.
The Congress and the President should at least require some sacrifice from our young men and women at a time of war. Perhaps President Bush can volunteer his 2 daughters to serve their country in the National Guard giving them the choice of volunteering for combat duty (not likely). Additionally, more American families would be inclined to get more involved in the political discourse and prevent further wars of choice if young family members have some skin in the game. I sincerely hope that this suggestion be taken seriously by the Congress and the President to protect the overstretched combat troops from the likes of The Dirty Dozen that are uniquely capable of "friendly fire."