I believe strongly that the U.S. should reinstate the military draft. Perhaps some alternatives could be offered for a few, where necessary.
We have evolved into a nation where those not directly involved with the military no longer appreciate what national defense actually involves. What does it mean to the average American when our troops go off to war. Not much! In WWII, almost every American was involved one way or the other. Today, that’s not the case. Yes, we stand and cheer for our servicepeople at football game halftime and we put bumper stickers on our cars that say, “Support Our Troops”. It’s nice that we do this but we have no idea about the reality of what our servicepeople face.
It’s time to work toward blending the military and civilian population more aggressively. We need to more strongly feel the pain of sending folks to war. Maybe, we’ll think twice before we do.