I agree with Bob Silverman’s Nov. 23 letter “Lead the call for service to nation,” when he says it’s time to re-institute the draft. All these politicians who want to send troops to the Middle East are the same ones who wanted young men on the ground in Vietnam.
If you look at the conflicts we have been involved in since the first Gulf War, young men end up serving half a dozen tours because the Pentagon doesn’t have enough troops to support the conflict. When the draft was in effect, there were enough troops so you only had to serve 12 months. You also didn’t have all these private contractors involved because there were plenty of troops to do the job.
I hear all these politicians and people who never served complain about private contractors providing support for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Guess what? The contractors fill the void.
By not instituting the draft, politicians can send troops into conflicts and a majority of the public won’t say a thing. But when Jimmy and, by the way Sue, (women should be included) get sent to war, there will be big blowback.
