Posted on Jul 19, 2018
Should We Be Upset At Those Who “Dodged The Draft”?
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I’ve seen a number of posts elsewhere provocatively calling President Trump a “draft dodger” for utilizing three educational deferments and one medical exclusion during Vietnam. I know this can be a sensitive issue for many of us who have served. Many of my military friends seem to want to pile on, and comment with disdain over his actions, and this issue. Some of this is just politics, for others it’s more personal.
I’d like to present a position here that may be unpopular with some. As a freedom loving American who voluntarily served in the US Army and Michigan National Guard for 22 years, including a tour in Iraq (2004-2005), I am thankful that I’ve never had to contend with an active draft. Most of us here have served in the military. Most of us served voluntarily; some were forced to “serve”. I’ve heard some who were conscripted say they are thankful they ended up in the military, or that they were thinking about volunteering anyway. I’ve also heard some say it was the worst thing that’s ever happened to them. There are still others who can’t comment because they didn’t make it back alive.
Most of us who joined the military will tell you they served to protect the freedom that is America, and we DO enjoy a great many freedoms that people in other countries do not. Now for the controversy. Can we include a draft as one of those freedoms? I contend we cannot. I’ve heard arguments for the utility, and necessity of a draft to fight our wars. But what is a draft when we REALLY take time to consider its nature. I’d like to place two definitions below to set the premise that guides my thinking on this issue. (I always use Merriam Webster for consistency’s sake.)
Servitude: “a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one's course of action or way of life.”
Slavery: “a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
: one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence“
Given these two definitions, it’s hard to argue that a draft doesn’t, at best fit the first definition, and at worst the second. When confronted with being drafted, we are given a “choice” either go to war, put your life in danger and do what you’re told, or go to jail. It’s a false choice, because either way you lose the choice to determine your life’s course of action, or you become a slave to the prison system. When I’ve made this argument, the replies, and questions seem to indicate that it’s ok to draft people for a host of reasons, and I have a host of reasons in disagreement.
“It’s a price we have to pay to live in a free country.”
Are we really free if our government can place us into servitude, or slavery without due process?
“Other countries do it.”
We’re not other countries. We’re America, and we abolished servitude, and slavery over 150 years ago. Why would we want to resurrect slavery to fight wars?
“How can we count on volunteers to enlist in great enough numbers to fight our wars?”
How about we offer commensurate pay and benefits that will draw enough citizens to volunteer? If that doesn’t work, perhaps our government should re-think the necessity of that particular engagement.
“What if we’re invaded or we’re needed to fight a great injustice somewhere else?”
If we’re invaded, one suspects there’ll be no shortage of volunteers, civilian, or military. If the cause is just, and the danger real, America has never had a shortage of volunteers.
“Don’t you find it dishonest to use deferrals, or medical exemptions to avoid the draft when others didn’t do so?”
Those deferrals, and exemptions were legal, weren’t they? Would you call taking your mortgage interest deduction, or other legal deductions to lower your tax liability as dishonest?
All of these questions, and answers, are ancillary though, because these questions ALL avoid, bypass, or totally ignore the basic premise that a draft is based upon involuntary servitude at best, and slavery at worst. So, when someone gets all up in arms about President Trump, or anybody else “dodging the draft” by taking legal deferrals, I say, “I don’t blame them”. I tell them I didn’t blame President Clinton for avoiding the draft, and I don’t blame President Trump either. My support of President Clinton in this regard back in the 1990’s certainly caused some consternation among my Republican friends. It’s the price one pays for being philosophically honest, and consistent. Some have asked, about those who fled the country to Canada to avoid the draft, while others went along with it and were deployed to Vietnam. My answer is that I didn’t blame black slaves from fleeing slavery to Canada in the 19th century nor do I blame anybody else for fleeing to Canada to escape our slavery of the Vietnam era.
I understand that the military isn’t for everybody, and we don’t want just anybody fighting next to us. I want people fighting next to me who volunteered. Someone who has that special love of country, of service, and of unit that promotes an effective force.
In summary, I start from the basic premise that a draft is involuntary servitude/slavery, and therefore I can’t blame anybody for avoiding such bonds, either within the system of deferments, and exemptions, or outside the system by fleeing the country. America is a great country because we did away with things like slavery and spearheaded the concept of economic and individual liberty. These concepts led to the greatest worldwide advancements of production, technology and efficiency ever known previous to the founding of our great nation.
I’m sincerely interested in your thoughts, comments, or questions on this issue.
I’d like to present a position here that may be unpopular with some. As a freedom loving American who voluntarily served in the US Army and Michigan National Guard for 22 years, including a tour in Iraq (2004-2005), I am thankful that I’ve never had to contend with an active draft. Most of us here have served in the military. Most of us served voluntarily; some were forced to “serve”. I’ve heard some who were conscripted say they are thankful they ended up in the military, or that they were thinking about volunteering anyway. I’ve also heard some say it was the worst thing that’s ever happened to them. There are still others who can’t comment because they didn’t make it back alive.
Most of us who joined the military will tell you they served to protect the freedom that is America, and we DO enjoy a great many freedoms that people in other countries do not. Now for the controversy. Can we include a draft as one of those freedoms? I contend we cannot. I’ve heard arguments for the utility, and necessity of a draft to fight our wars. But what is a draft when we REALLY take time to consider its nature. I’d like to place two definitions below to set the premise that guides my thinking on this issue. (I always use Merriam Webster for consistency’s sake.)
Servitude: “a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one's course of action or way of life.”
Slavery: “a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
: one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence“
Given these two definitions, it’s hard to argue that a draft doesn’t, at best fit the first definition, and at worst the second. When confronted with being drafted, we are given a “choice” either go to war, put your life in danger and do what you’re told, or go to jail. It’s a false choice, because either way you lose the choice to determine your life’s course of action, or you become a slave to the prison system. When I’ve made this argument, the replies, and questions seem to indicate that it’s ok to draft people for a host of reasons, and I have a host of reasons in disagreement.
“It’s a price we have to pay to live in a free country.”
Are we really free if our government can place us into servitude, or slavery without due process?
“Other countries do it.”
We’re not other countries. We’re America, and we abolished servitude, and slavery over 150 years ago. Why would we want to resurrect slavery to fight wars?
“How can we count on volunteers to enlist in great enough numbers to fight our wars?”
How about we offer commensurate pay and benefits that will draw enough citizens to volunteer? If that doesn’t work, perhaps our government should re-think the necessity of that particular engagement.
“What if we’re invaded or we’re needed to fight a great injustice somewhere else?”
If we’re invaded, one suspects there’ll be no shortage of volunteers, civilian, or military. If the cause is just, and the danger real, America has never had a shortage of volunteers.
“Don’t you find it dishonest to use deferrals, or medical exemptions to avoid the draft when others didn’t do so?”
Those deferrals, and exemptions were legal, weren’t they? Would you call taking your mortgage interest deduction, or other legal deductions to lower your tax liability as dishonest?
All of these questions, and answers, are ancillary though, because these questions ALL avoid, bypass, or totally ignore the basic premise that a draft is based upon involuntary servitude at best, and slavery at worst. So, when someone gets all up in arms about President Trump, or anybody else “dodging the draft” by taking legal deferrals, I say, “I don’t blame them”. I tell them I didn’t blame President Clinton for avoiding the draft, and I don’t blame President Trump either. My support of President Clinton in this regard back in the 1990’s certainly caused some consternation among my Republican friends. It’s the price one pays for being philosophically honest, and consistent. Some have asked, about those who fled the country to Canada to avoid the draft, while others went along with it and were deployed to Vietnam. My answer is that I didn’t blame black slaves from fleeing slavery to Canada in the 19th century nor do I blame anybody else for fleeing to Canada to escape our slavery of the Vietnam era.
I understand that the military isn’t for everybody, and we don’t want just anybody fighting next to us. I want people fighting next to me who volunteered. Someone who has that special love of country, of service, and of unit that promotes an effective force.
In summary, I start from the basic premise that a draft is involuntary servitude/slavery, and therefore I can’t blame anybody for avoiding such bonds, either within the system of deferments, and exemptions, or outside the system by fleeing the country. America is a great country because we did away with things like slavery and spearheaded the concept of economic and individual liberty. These concepts led to the greatest worldwide advancements of production, technology and efficiency ever known previous to the founding of our great nation.
I’m sincerely interested in your thoughts, comments, or questions on this issue.
Vietnam War
Vietnam
Donald Trump
Military service
Service
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 705
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Appreciate the honesty! Interesting point of view as well. I gotta respect the thought that went into this post as well. Your opinion is your opinion and can't say I disagree with it at all. I believe that's why it is no longer an option, as they don't want to force anyone into military service. It's always been voluntary to enter Service, but yes, I know that it was an option offered by most judges, but I'm not sure if it was something "encouraged" by the government at that time. It puts a new spin on the compulsory nature of the draft.
I know that's more of a "lottery," but is indeed forced and obviously the reason many men ran away. Those men I have less sympathy for. I understand that so many are frightened of going into a combat zone. But if you let that fear rule you and cloud your day-to-day actions, it puts you and others at risk. Now, I was older when I joined in 2009 and was training to go to the 'Stan. But, I knew I had joined the Infantry willingly and knew that was where I was going to be. People I had just began reconnecting with from high school on FB kept asking if I was scared. I just told them that I knew what I had signed up for and just accepted that it was where I was going to be. You acknowledge the fact that I might die or be injured, but accept it as well. That's where draftees run into trouble and become trouble for those who volunteer.
It was found to be true in 'Nam where draftees generally didn't care and were aggressively lazy and bad at their jobs. Same thing happened when the Stop Loss program was utilized in Iraq. While trying to retain experienced personnel who had volunteered, they retained them and extended contracts when the SM was trying to get out at the end of their contract. Same result. The best program seemed to be what was done after that, which was to extend the enlistment age to 42, at least in the Army. That's pretty much how I got in. I joined when I was a few months shy of 37. I volunteered for the Infantry. The Army saw that there were a lot of men trying to enter the Service after 9/11 and couldn't because they were beyond the age limit. After the collapse of the housing market and the general economy in 2008, I was one who decided to go that route after recently losing my job. I'm sure others were like me. That opened up a larger number of individuals who were willing to enter into the military and "do their part." Simple solutions often work the best. Six years worth of individuals then expanded the pool of candidates of volunteers to fill in the numbers required. They can keep the draft! Even if women are included, it's going to increase the number of unwilling and unmotivated individuals (although, you'd think that being interested in staying alive would be motivating) serving and bringing others down.
I know that's more of a "lottery," but is indeed forced and obviously the reason many men ran away. Those men I have less sympathy for. I understand that so many are frightened of going into a combat zone. But if you let that fear rule you and cloud your day-to-day actions, it puts you and others at risk. Now, I was older when I joined in 2009 and was training to go to the 'Stan. But, I knew I had joined the Infantry willingly and knew that was where I was going to be. People I had just began reconnecting with from high school on FB kept asking if I was scared. I just told them that I knew what I had signed up for and just accepted that it was where I was going to be. You acknowledge the fact that I might die or be injured, but accept it as well. That's where draftees run into trouble and become trouble for those who volunteer.
It was found to be true in 'Nam where draftees generally didn't care and were aggressively lazy and bad at their jobs. Same thing happened when the Stop Loss program was utilized in Iraq. While trying to retain experienced personnel who had volunteered, they retained them and extended contracts when the SM was trying to get out at the end of their contract. Same result. The best program seemed to be what was done after that, which was to extend the enlistment age to 42, at least in the Army. That's pretty much how I got in. I joined when I was a few months shy of 37. I volunteered for the Infantry. The Army saw that there were a lot of men trying to enter the Service after 9/11 and couldn't because they were beyond the age limit. After the collapse of the housing market and the general economy in 2008, I was one who decided to go that route after recently losing my job. I'm sure others were like me. That opened up a larger number of individuals who were willing to enter into the military and "do their part." Simple solutions often work the best. Six years worth of individuals then expanded the pool of candidates of volunteers to fill in the numbers required. They can keep the draft! Even if women are included, it's going to increase the number of unwilling and unmotivated individuals (although, you'd think that being interested in staying alive would be motivating) serving and bringing others down.
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SSG Gerhard S.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Many points, and well stated. I can sympathize with you as well. I joined the Army in 1983, another period when there were few jobs, and a poor economy. Not something I planned on doing, but something I'm grateful I did.
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Legal things are legal things .. those that ran off to another country like Canada is another story altogether ...
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I volunteered to avoid the draft and being assigned to an MOS that I didn't want. I was not dodging assignment to Viet Nam. I enlisted in the Navy to be a Hospital Corpsman, knowing that if I stayed in the Navy long enough that I would eventually draw an assignment to the 3rd MarDiv and assigned to an infantry unit in Viet Nam. I did, in fact, serve in Viet Nam but with MILPHAP N-7, a medical advisory team to the South Vietnamese Public Health Service.
As to those who ran away and went to other countries, mostly Canada, I have nothing but disdain. They were cowards. Some stayed in their escape nations but many returned to the USA after the danger had passed. These people are the worst or the worst. They returned to enjoy the freedoms fought for and paid for by others. Too many of those who served (58,000) paid the ultimate price for these despicable leeches.
As to those who ran away and went to other countries, mostly Canada, I have nothing but disdain. They were cowards. Some stayed in their escape nations but many returned to the USA after the danger had passed. These people are the worst or the worst. They returned to enjoy the freedoms fought for and paid for by others. Too many of those who served (58,000) paid the ultimate price for these despicable leeches.
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SSG Gerhard S.
Thank you for sharing your very real experiences and opinions on this often contentious issue.
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