The Draft As Deterrent
By David H. Hackworth
Originally published March 18, 2003
If today's U.S. armed forces could count draftee airmen, sailors, soldiers and Marines among those who
will soon be doing the dying during our second go at Saddam Hussein, you can bet good money that more
American parents and grandparents would have been asking hard questions of their Washington pols
long before the drumbeat of war became headline news. Important questions such as:
Is this war really necessary?
What national security threat does Iraq pose to the United States ?
Why can't we – with a united world behind us – disarm Iraq without war?
Why the unilateral intervention?
What are the projected costs and casualties, and is there an exit plan?
But at long last, the realities of war have been brought home by massive global peace marches, gas
prices spiraling into the stratosphere, the economy tanking alongside the Titanic and tens of thousands of
reserve soldiers from every city in this great land – neighbors, friends and workmates of the formerly
disconnected – being called to arms. Finally, millions of Americans are listening more carefully to a chorus
of world leaders and a few gutsy national politicians righteously concerned about the consequences of the
shootout in the desert.
Except that with 230,000 of our warriors already staring down Saddam's cannons, this new consciousness
might have come too late.
I believe it's been far too easy for the vast majority of Americans to pay little or no attention to George W.
Bush's march to war, because most folks' pride and joy aren't prime candidates for body bags. And few
average citizens have ongoing personal contact with a uniformed defender from the 1 million-plus regular
warriors who make up our All-Volunteer Force (AVF). To them, our warriors are just uniforms they
occasionally see floating around at airports or as background color in TV war dispatches.
Most recruits in the AVF come from non-vocal, working-class families – a disproportionate number from
the poor and from minority groups – while more privileged Americans are conspicuous by their absence.
For example, the Congress that voted overwhelmingly for the military solution against Iraq includes only
one member with a son who's an enlisted grunt. The rest, like the majority of Americans since the draft
went south, no longer share directly in the sacrifice that comes with sending our youth to face the dragon.
The poor join up because the job prospects on the outside are marginal. By going into the military, they
learn a skill, gain the benefits of the GI Bill and get a better shot at the American dream.
Meanwhile, teens from families with political punch – read cash and/or clout – are safely bunkered down at
universities out of harm's way. And when asked: "Should we 'do' Iraq ?" their answer is often a roaring
"Yes!" But ask those same young aristo-hawks: "Will you go and fight?" and rarely does a Tommy Hilfiger-
clad arm shoot up. When it comes to blood sports, they don't need to be taught that the spectators have it
cushier than the gladiators.
Just as if all Americans knew their kids would likely serve dead-center on the killing fields, there'd be far
sharper focus on how our politicians are voting and a lot more calls for caution and careful consideration
before we got out there in the sand and slapped leather. For sure, the draft would give us 20/20 vigilance.
As the father of a reservist now in Kuwait recently said: "I suspect once folks start thinking about their kids
standing in the line of fire, they'll make a whole bunch of noise. When that happens, hopefully this insanity
will stop."
History has taught us that draftees serve this country well. Not only are they natural-born whistle-blowers
who keep both the war-makers and the brass honest, but because their service keeps all our citizens more
closely involved and invested, they are our bottom-line deterrent to war.
Service in our country's ranks used to be widely accepted as the price of citizenship. So why not bring
back the draft? Since so many of our leaders seem to be currently suffering from Empiritis, we'd all
probably be better protected from this country-destroying disease if every American family shared the
burden for defending our way of life.
Eilhys England contributed to this article.
© 2003 David H. Hackworth
By David H. Hackworth
Originally published March 18, 2003
If today's U.S. armed forces could count draftee airmen, sailors, soldiers and Marines among those who
will soon be doing the dying during our second go at Saddam Hussein, you can bet good money that more
American parents and grandparents would have been asking hard questions of their Washington pols
long before the drumbeat of war became headline news. Important questions such as:
Is this war really necessary?
What national security threat does Iraq pose to the United States ?
Why can't we – with a united world behind us – disarm Iraq without war?
Why the unilateral intervention?
What are the projected costs and casualties, and is there an exit plan?
But at long last, the realities of war have been brought home by massive global peace marches, gas
prices spiraling into the stratosphere, the economy tanking alongside the Titanic and tens of thousands of
reserve soldiers from every city in this great land – neighbors, friends and workmates of the formerly
disconnected – being called to arms. Finally, millions of Americans are listening more carefully to a chorus
of world leaders and a few gutsy national politicians righteously concerned about the consequences of the
shootout in the desert.
Except that with 230,000 of our warriors already staring down Saddam's cannons, this new consciousness
might have come too late.
I believe it's been far too easy for the vast majority of Americans to pay little or no attention to George W.
Bush's march to war, because most folks' pride and joy aren't prime candidates for body bags. And few
average citizens have ongoing personal contact with a uniformed defender from the 1 million-plus regular
warriors who make up our All-Volunteer Force (AVF). To them, our warriors are just uniforms they
occasionally see floating around at airports or as background color in TV war dispatches.
Most recruits in the AVF come from non-vocal, working-class families – a disproportionate number from
the poor and from minority groups – while more privileged Americans are conspicuous by their absence.
For example, the Congress that voted overwhelmingly for the military solution against Iraq includes only
one member with a son who's an enlisted grunt. The rest, like the majority of Americans since the draft
went south, no longer share directly in the sacrifice that comes with sending our youth to face the dragon.
The poor join up because the job prospects on the outside are marginal. By going into the military, they
learn a skill, gain the benefits of the GI Bill and get a better shot at the American dream.
Meanwhile, teens from families with political punch – read cash and/or clout – are safely bunkered down at
universities out of harm's way. And when asked: "Should we 'do' Iraq ?" their answer is often a roaring
"Yes!" But ask those same young aristo-hawks: "Will you go and fight?" and rarely does a Tommy Hilfiger-
clad arm shoot up. When it comes to blood sports, they don't need to be taught that the spectators have it
cushier than the gladiators.
Just as if all Americans knew their kids would likely serve dead-center on the killing fields, there'd be far
sharper focus on how our politicians are voting and a lot more calls for caution and careful consideration
before we got out there in the sand and slapped leather. For sure, the draft would give us 20/20 vigilance.
As the father of a reservist now in Kuwait recently said: "I suspect once folks start thinking about their kids
standing in the line of fire, they'll make a whole bunch of noise. When that happens, hopefully this insanity
will stop."
History has taught us that draftees serve this country well. Not only are they natural-born whistle-blowers
who keep both the war-makers and the brass honest, but because their service keeps all our citizens more
closely involved and invested, they are our bottom-line deterrent to war.
Service in our country's ranks used to be widely accepted as the price of citizenship. So why not bring
back the draft? Since so many of our leaders seem to be currently suffering from Empiritis, we'd all
probably be better protected from this country-destroying disease if every American family shared the
burden for defending our way of life.
Eilhys England contributed to this article.
© 2003 David H. Hackworth
David H. Hackworth 1930-2005 Nickname Hack Place of birth California Place of death Tijuana, Mexico Years of service 1945-1971 Rank Colonel Battles/wars Korean War Vietnam War Awards Distinguished Service Cross (2) Silver Star (10) Legion of Merit (4) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device (8) Purple Heart (8) Air Medal Combat Infantryman Badge Other work Restaurateur author journalist |
Col. David H. Hackworth 1930-2005 |
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