Professor Cheyney Ryan labeled it best as “the phenomena of the endless war.” With World War I, our goal of total Japanese and German surrender was clear. And in the Gulf War, the distinct objective was to get Iraq out of Kuwait. In Afghanistan, the United States initially wanted to win the war by bombing, a task that is really only successful in developed countries.
The likelihood of a ground war is looming. When it happens, the government said it will take 500,000 soldiers to control Afghanistan. There’s also a possibility that we’ll end up occupying Pakistan because of its nuclear weapons, requiring even more troops.
However, the armed forces can’t ship more than half a million soldiers and expect to continue to replenish those numbers with extra troops. We currently do not have those types of numbers, which would mean reinstitution of the draft — something many Americans have been nervously whispering about since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The reinstitution of the draft frightened me enough when I realized it could mean my 18-year-old brother could be called in to serve Uncle Sam in the near future. And then I was introduced to another possibility that hit home even more — the likelihood that women would be included.
Since President Nixon abolished the draft in the 1970s because of tremendous opposition during Vietnam, women’s rights and gender equality have made progress in leaps and bounds. And we’d be ignorant to think that a draft would step back to the masculine ideals of several decades before, after we’ve spent the last 20 years demonstrating to society that there is no such thing as a weaker sex.
With the draft comes the draft dodgers. The government only recognizes a few excuses for draft deferment, and student status isn’t one of them. Religious deferment, if you’re Quaker, Mennonite or Jehovah’s Witness, is.
Another is homosexuality. Why? The government’s explanation is including homosexuals in the service would lead to bad morale for the troops by making them uncomfortable.
But how will this be handled today? Would the draft board ask to
receive proof (letter from a psychologist, etc.)? Scenes from a Pauly Shore movie run through my mind, and I’m not laughing. Add pregnancy to the deferment mix. One can only hope that attempts to dodge the draft wouldn’t result in a baby boom.
My own feelings on the draft are mixed. I can u
nderstand that I should be prepared to fight for a war that I’m going to be affected by. Do I believe it’s a violation of my civil liberties that the government can force me to serve ­ and basically control my life or death? No, but that doesn’t make me eager to make the trip to Afghanistan to face up against Osama bin Laden’s followers, who have no problem killing me for their cause.
However, if we aren’t faced with the actual possibility of having to make real sacrifices for war, then isn’t there something wrong with supporting a war we personally have no investment in? It’s easy to applaud or criticize the war effort when it’s someone else’s life.
Even Elvis served in the Army for two years. If the King could put his life on hold for the benefit of our country, I won’t complain if I’m called.