Will the Military Draft Our Young Adults?

In October 2006, by a vote of 402-2, Congress defeated a bill to make military service mandatory. Since the war in Iraq began, the threat of a draft has loomed over the heads of young adults in this country. With that vote completed, political offices and departments have publicly denied the advent of mandatory service upon U.S. citizens.

Despite the increased refutation, young people across the country still engage in debates on the viability of a draft. The Iraq war has continued for 5 years and with troops still being deployed overseas, the current president shows know sign of discontinuing his efforts.

In an editorial to The Columbian, serving Clark County, Washington, Brady Miletich wrote:

The sound of machine guns firing and grenades blowing up is a [cool] experience if you are playing a video game. Unfortunately, for those taking part in the war in Iraq, this is a scary reality. What is even scarier is any talk of a draft that would not give young men or women a choice in whether they want to join the violence...

.....I do not feel that I should be forced to join a war in which I do not completely understand why we are still fighting. Do not get me wrong, I fully support the troops. I even have family who has been to Iraq. I just do not feel that a draft would be a good idea.

Miletich went on to describe his plans for the future, his college education, and post-education dreams. He, like many young adults across the country, disagrees with any thoughts of mandatory service. With a recent Harrison poll showing that only 28 percent of the country has favorable opinions about the war, it is no wonder that young adults are beginning to worry about the possibility of the draft.

With more troops being requested for deployment over-seas, the lack of resources becomes more apparent. Several young adults like Brady Miletich have expressed their dissatisfaction at the continual calls from military recruiters. Since Congress denied the mandatory service bill, Recruitment by the military has turned into what some consider a bad form of telemarketing.