General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is there anyone on DU-3 who lived through Vietnam War Era..whose life was changed by the DraftWar? [View all]moriah
(8,311 posts)Her husband enlisted in the Air Force because he felt it was the safer option, he would be less likely to be deployed into a combat zone, being enlisted in the AF rather than an officer or in another branch. As they joked in my family, the Air Force sends their officers to fight and their enlisted stay home and patch up the planes -- the reverse of most of the other branches. His scariest moment was dropping a wrench down a nuclear silo -- he never deployed outside the US. Possibly because of the nature of the AF, possibly because he had a baby daughter, my sister.... possibly because his skills were needed at home.
She often talked about friends who didn't come back, and friends who came back so damaged they wished, in their darker hours, that they hadn't made it. Many were drafted, others enlisted because they felt they would get better placement than if they were drafted.... many others enlisted because they felt they could save their brothers (both biological and the others of their generation in general) from being drafted if they went instead.
It made me feel strongly about an all-volunteer armed forces. There are some people who are not made for combat. Those who can handle it better than the rest of us, who have chosen to enlist, save the ones who are not psychologically able to serve from being drafted, and I admire them for it. Yes, they have to answer the question for themselves if they feel what they are fighting for is just and right... but it's a hell of a lot better than pulling J. Random Guy off the street with no regard for psychological fitness for duty.