In the event of a military draft, what would you do?

Sorry, my mistake on the first point.

I don't really agree with the 2nd point, but I can see where you're coming from. And I can see how someone would feel that way.

 

I agree. And on the classroom scenario, there are plenty of people (I'm one of them....and I VOLUNTEERED for the army) who just aren't, for whatever reason (anxiety, stress, lack of confidence, or even overconfidence), able to volunteer themselves for anything. Those people, while hesitant to put themselves out there, can thrive when called upon.

Hell, I had plenty of scenarios in school (still do, actually) where I was hesitant to put my knowledge or skills out for all to see. I'd actually WANT the teacher to call on me because I wouldn't do it myself. So, I understand what everyone is arguing here. Just because you won't/don't volunteer doesn't mean you wouldn't serve proudly and/or eagerly if called upon to do so.

And for the record: re-instituting the draft is one of the WORST decisions the United States government could EVER put into place.

 

too funny

 

No you can't... unless there's a reasonable chance that it takes you four years to mow the lawn and the mower could suck you in at anytime and chop you into little bits and then have the mower manufacturer appear at the door to give your wife a polished mower blade in remembrance of your honorable lawn care service.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I think there is incredible irony in a guy who willingly camps out in burning forests all summer talking about the danger of the military. I don't know the stats, but I'd bet that in terms of balls (as measured by job danger), wilderness firefighters are right up there with Rangers.

 

Vancouver is on the short list of cities I may move to next. This would be the kick in the butt to expedite that move.

 

Considering the question is "In the event of a military draft, what would you do?", I don't see how it became a debate on how stupid a draft would be. How is the OP even at fault for a hypothetical question? He is not arguing on what people should be classified as, and much less should be ridiculed because some people would go if the country got desperate?

There's a difference between proudly serving if needed and being readily proactive to server. There are people that would like to keep their life in line and are not eager to change, but would gladly fulfill their "duty" if asked. That's what people meant by proudly serving. If you looked at the choices, you could proudly serve, run away, or whatever other choices there are. To go after the OP and some answers over forum responses for a hypothetical question is ridiculous.

 

My whole purpose in this thread is to point out that people are making a statement that they would go without thinking through the consequences or having any kind of life experience that remotely resembles what you'd confront in the case of a real draft during a hot war.

And the lawn mowing analogy was just silly.

Regarding firefighting, we get compared to the military a lot and it's not something I like. There are no acceptable casualties. We don't defend ground at any cost. We often run away and wait for the fire to hit sparser fuels before we take action. If we have a firefighter that is compelled to act bravely, that means there have been a bunch of mistakes already made because they should be in a safe place by that time... and sadly, all most brave firefighters end up with a feature length obituary in their hometown newspaper and an inscribed stone on some ridge.

We do identify and mitigate the hazards found in our work environment. Because we train endlessly to deal with those hazards, firefighters go into places that others would run from, but again, if the environment gets too complex, gets to the point where we cannot mitigate the hazards, we retreat... and really we try to retreat just before the environment reaches that point.

No matter what though, people die every year. It's hard to mitigate a mechanical failure in a helicopter when you're a few hundred feet off the ground. It's hard to mitigate a limb snapping off and slamming into your head while you're on night shift. It's hard to make the right decisions all the time, particularly when you're physically fatigued and breathing smoke.

And so, while I don't like the common comparisons, there are similarities between firefighting and soldiering... the "fog' we sometimes operate in. The risk is slighter for us but no less real. The deaths ripple through the ranks and are honored by the organization. The search to better plan and better prepare is constant. The applicability of military concepts (and their borrowing of ours) is relentlessly evaluated.

All that said, I never answered the original question. If there were a draft today, I'd probably go because I know with my experience, I'd be put in a position where I could make a little difference and perhaps be able to control the situation enough to lower the chances of people being stupidly killed. If I were 20 again, I certainly wouldn't go to Iraq or Vietnam. If I were 20 again and know what I know now, it would depend on the situation, but I would still have a tough time going to Iraq or Vietnam.

 

The analogy may not apply in terms of seriousness, but it does in terms of mindset. Which is, even if you do not wish to do something, you may do it anyway simply because you feel "it's the right thing to do".

Obviously, a lot less people would be willing to fight a war than to mow the lawn. So you may have 90% willing to mow the lawn to due wife nagging, but only 20% willing to be a soldier due to the draft. But it's not like there are many people on this thread willing to fight anyway.

 

i would be military photographer!

no flash!

 

It was a point made after the other common analogy was made.
Another common analogy you probably won't like (but I'll make anyway) is taxes. Some people are complaining that Obama will be raising taxes. Others stand up and say that they would gladly pay more. The first group then say, 'You're free to pay more now. Why wait?'
Why wait? Well, because they like their money and who wants to go and give that up? But if the law came down that said they had to pay a certain percentage, they're willing to do so. It's their civic duty to pay their taxes and it is the law. I guess you can refuse to pay and flee the country.
And I'm sorry my analogy doesn't have Uncle Sam chopping anyone up into little bits.