"We came from a small, small town and three fellows in my town that were 4F committed suicide."
from Band of Brothers, a soldier discusses the shame felt by some who could not fight in WWII
I don't plan on blathering on about "the Greatest Generation". But it is an interesting foil for the present.
When I lived in Florida, I had a conversation with another mom that I have never been able to get out of my mind. We were discussing vocations (people becoming priests and nuns, for those non-Catholics in the crowd) and I said I would fully support my son if he wanted to become a priest. This mom looked at me incredulously and said she would be very upset about her kids pursuing a vocation and would try to dissuade them. She wanted them both to "get married, have high-paying jobs and have some grandkids for me." I was totally floored. She had been Catholic all her life and just told me she would do whatever she could to change their minds. Where exactly did this woman think future priests and nuns would come from? I also thought it was telling that she mentioned jobs and money. Some callings are just that, and they pay poorly. I am guessing artist, musician or dancer would not be authorized careers either, as they tend to not be high-paying.
It is the same attitude that keeps kids from considering the Armed Forces.
Yes, it is a challenging path. But for some people it is an incredible opportunity to truly affect change in this crazy world. Within hours of Haiti's earthquake, military units were alerted and prepped to go. My friend was sent to Honduras after that huge hurricane nearly washed it away in 98. My unit was alerted to possibly go to the Carolinas when a storm was aimed right for the coast. Another friend's college graduation was cancelled because the Red River flooded Grand Forks, and her NG unit was there helping. Those aren't even the big things.
"We can do no great things, just small things with great love." Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
The notion of sacrifice as a good has nearly vanished from our society. It is in our flawed human nature to avoid pain and hardship. We forget that it is all part of the path of life. We too often divorce if sustaining a marriage becomes challenging or uninteresting. We too often mock mothers who leave careers for their family. Members of that thin camo line, those who protect us from people who would murder us in our cities, are written off as too foolish to attend college- kids who didn't study and instead got "stuck in Iraq".
I was an AIT (training unit where soldiers learn their jobs) company commander a million years ago (approx :) ). I will tell you that I had plenty of smart kids that chose supply as their job. Some kids had some college under their belts. I also had kids who saw the Army as their lifeline. Like the kid with the oldest eyes I have ever seen on an 18 year old, he told me he went to a recruiter's office the day after his best friend was killed by a rival gang. He told me he knew if he didn't get out of there, he would never make anything of himself and would end up as a chalk outline too. But I also saw the wave come in after 9/11. Kids who watched it happen on TV and swore that they were going to be part of the solution. These kids didn't want any more planes killing thousands more office workers. They were inspiring.
Where did they get that idea? From their family and community. People who talked about things like Duty, Honor, and Selfless Service. People who taught them that they are a small part of a greater community, and that they need to contribute to the greater good and sometimes it means you hoe a tougher row.
WE, the people. the parents, need to teach our children and model to our neighbors that the valiant sacrifices our servicemen make are worth more than any fancy house or boat or high-brow career. Without our servicemen and women, our freedoms would be greatly diminished and our prosperity would vanish.
The trends for enlistment follow regional lines. Texas (pop:24.7 million) had 10,000 people enlist for the Regular Army according to USAREC for the most recent year available, California (36.9 million) had only 8000. Texas' economy is doing just fine, by the way, so the line about "there are no jobs where they come from" doesn't necessarily apply. Georgia (9.8 mil) had more kids enlist than New York (19.5 mil), with NC (9.4 mil) right behind them.
So what does this mean for the draft, which is where I originally started?
We need to educate people and reach out. I think more people would volunteer if the notion of service wasn't so foreign to them. I also think that the only way our nation will be jolted off of its increasingly widening backside is when our enemies get lucky. So many people work so hard everyday to try to stop them, but our enemies, the same people who think blowing up discos in Israel is a good idea, aren't going to give up anytime soon. And they only have to get lucky once. That package bomb they found in France was 17 minutes away from detonation. It has taken me longer than that to write this blog entry.
I worry about our nation. Cultures this complacent tend to fade away. Maybe it is the way that they teach "social studies" these days, but we, America, we conquered this land. It was hard and hostile and a lot of people died to fulfill what was then called our "Manifest Destiny". How is it that Lewis and Clark could blaze a trail to the West, but our young people today live only for their creature comforts and Dancing with the Stars? I am hopeful, but not confident. Can you draft a nation that has forgotten its warrior spirit?
I don't know that a draft at this point in time would serve the nation or our services well. I think it would weaken our Army despite the increase in manpower. I would love to hear your rebuttals, because I am not set in stone on this. It is a huge thing to sort out.
No comments:
Post a Comment