It reminded me of something that had happened to me about 2 years ago …

About 2 years ago, I was at a business function that included a presentation followed by a buffet lunch.  It was on a Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend – another patriotic holiday.  There were about 300 people in the group with most of them around my age or so (mid 40’s to mid 50’s).

After the presentation was given and we were getting ready for the buffet, the announcer asked all those who had served in the Armed Forces to stand in honor of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.  Having spent 3 quality years in the U.S Army during the later part of the Viet-Nam War, I pushed back my chair and stood.

When I looked around, I was shocked.  There were only about 15 other guys standing as well – out of a group of around 300!  I couldn’t believe it.  This was an older, typically conservative age group.  Most of these people were “America – Love It or Leave It” kind of people.  They talked about “freedom” and “liberty” and wore their American flag lapel pins but no one was apparently willing to give up 3 years of their lives to actually help make those ideals a reality.  They talked about “Support Our Troops” but were not willing to become one.  I was dumbfounded.

My generation (I’m currently 57) grew up with the Draft.  By law, you were required to register for the Draft when you turned 18.  The government held a “lottery” every year and randomly picked which birthdays would be “called up” for military service.  If your number came up, you got a “Greetings” letter shortly thereafter from the US Government and you were officially “drafted.”

That never bothered me though.  I expected to enter military service, although not for any particular patriotic reason.  I figured it was the only way I would be able to afford college.  Still, I signed up after High School and did my duty.  As any veteran will tell you, my military experiences are memories that I wouldn’t trade for a million dollars – but wouldn’t give 2 cents to go through again!

Regardless of my initial motivation, I served my country.  You can argue whether or not my service (or the Viet-Nam war, for that matter) made any difference over the long term but the point is that I served. 

So what?  Well, here’s what I think spending 3 years in the Army gives me the right to say:

First, after watching the political theater of the last presidential election in which patriotism was used as a “political weapon,” I don’t think anyone has the right to even venture an opinion on the deployment, actions, and motivation of our troops unless they themselves have been one.  It was really crazy to listen to impassioned people argue for the rightness or wrongness of the Iraq War under the guise of “supporting our troops” without the slightest idea of what it feels like to be in the military.

Second, I think there should be mandatory national service in this country.  Now, hear me out on this one.  I honestly think that once someone, male or female, finishes High School, they should spend the next 1 to 2 years in service to their country in some way, shape, or form.  Note that this does not necessarily mean military service (although the military would be an option of course).  The term “national service” could mean working at a national park, at a veteran’s hospital, with the Corps of Engineers, or at a local community center. 

While serving (in any area other than the military, of course), you’d continue living at home and would draw some sort of salary consummate with the type of job you signed up for.  In addition to serving your country and gaining real-world experience, you’d also be earning some sort of “credits” based on the length of service.  These “credits” could then be used for college tuition, down payment for a new home, or something similar.  It would be sort of a mini-version of the old “GI Bill.”

So how do you serve your country?  What have you done to help keep America free and strong?  Give it some thought and let me know what you think. By the way, Time magazine ran some good articles on this exact topic back in 2007.  You can access it by clicking here.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: national service, patriotism, veteran, country, usa, freedom, independence

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