It just isn't working
Marmion, Harry A.
organizations are being formed, resoultions passed, petitions recognized their debt to the soldiers of the 1960s and 1970s, signed, demonstrations held. Pro-draft forces are opening...
...this, too, service has done what it could, but now it is clear that even the caused severe political problems at home...
...Illiteracy creates serious problems for recruitLegion, is a declining social club for some in the lower middle ing...
...No one seriously can believe that any administration include women...
...If pool the opportunity to spend a lesser time on active duty in the there is a recession then the all-volunteer force will fill its military-six months-and follow that by 5' years in the ranks...
...12 October 1979: 557...
...E LATER, National Service...
...There are those who say such changes people might go into jobs like the Peace Corps or VISTA, or will increase the possibility of military adventures...
...Remember, I told you so...
...Do Senators Stennis and Nunn and support registration for men turning 18 years of age after their cohorts really wish to force them into prison or Canadian December 31, 1980-that is, after the elections-who said, exile...
...Last fall a nationwide exercise took is not surprising that 40 percent of the Army's male recruits in placee to test the capacity of the armed forces to react to limited the fall of 1978 were black...
...This then is the most critical problem for the Without doubt the volunteer system exacerbates all our Joint Chiefs...
...Since Edith and I appropriate social agencies...
...SENDING A BOY TO MISSISSIPPI It happens all the time' KATHARINE BYRNE Now Edith is the kind of woman who gets mixed up in the lives of other people, not just guiltily at Christmas, but with a EDITH HAS lived next-door to us for more than thirty certain staying power, from one holiday to the next...
...National Service partici- a change, and there will be...
...were ready to get troops to Europe probably only the islands of Iona, Jersey and Ireland would be available to save...
...sional presence of these children...
...Many is clear and unambiguous: the number of 18-year-olds will people believe that American youth have lots of rights but few decline by almost 25 percent from 1975 to 1980...
...Of course, the higher the unemployment rate the more apt the military is to be able to meet its I N 1971 1 WROTE a book entitled The Case Against a Volun- goals, so that these shortfalls may be cyclical...
...and no local draft boards...
...The recently The military opposes an overhaul of its retirement system, now published final report of the Committee for the Study of costing $10 billion a year...
...It is inevitably designed to make its that might have to be rushed to Europe, for example, in the primary appeal to the poor, minorities and the dispossessed, to event of a military crisis...
...There are shortages of medical personnel, especially test...
...During the Vietnam war when the volunteer force...
...Registration leads to a draft which will inevitably lead to Yet the pro-draft forces push ahead, methodically, myopi- military adventurism...
...Further, the selective service machinery, virtually dis- Despite the government's position on affirmative action, the mantled from 1972-1976, is in "deep freeze" with fewer than military still lags in the recruitment of women...
...In my The best thinking in the past has come up with a three-option opinion, the stage is being set for a reinstatement of the system...
...The line of argumenta- the arguments against .the idea of universal National tion is clear: "If we can't recruit people now, you can imagine Service-including cost, increased bureaucracy and the inhibhow tough it would be with a new, modified, less favorable ition of personal liberty due to compulsion-it favors universal retirement program...
...During the Korean War be recruiting shortfalls and a draft would be necessary...
...If the mili- reactivate the system...
...It will be a part of the Department of tary did not meet its needs, then the do nothings would face Defense initially...
...The ironic and unpalatable to rely on recession as a mainstay of war, Nixon's position on the draft, and the cries of the military manpower policy...
...Are we ready to establish yet anger of the 1960s could easily be aroused again among the another generation of victims...
...Many already in the military, especially service for American youth...
...about...
...So the Joint Chiefs are not so subtly unemployment rate among the young...
...Un- Thus the pool of "do nothings" might ileed to be tapped-and doubtedly, the new draft law would be different from that of again the mix of population altered...
...would embark on such a course...
...My own feeling is that and universities and industry...
...Each of the services has combat-causing severe political problems at home...
...middle class all but drowned out arguments against the all- First-term attrition...
...tives, the population mix in the military and National Service What form would National Service take...
...ical circumstances warrant an increased active military estabOne cannot be sure that a modified draft system, which lishment, Congress may be convinced to go further...
...the past...
...If there is a draft, there will be young men Rep...
...It would offer those in the in large part on the near-term economic climate in the nation...
...This sharp increase was attributed system is not working...
...We're trying to bring other hawks who supported Vietnam escalation at every stage back a peacetime draft when we don't need it...
...military crisis...
...Despite the public insistence within the to literacy problems, medical problems, lack of discipline, administration that the all-volunteer force (AVF) is in good financial hardship and inability to perform to the standards shape, it is not...
...The individual ready reserve, the hardest hit of all is true especially when cyclical civilian unemployment is high reserve components, has declined from 1.6 million to 360,000 Unemployment among young eligible blacks is twice the na men in recent years...
...the public but one of the most important reasons why the Joint Inelasticity...
...The growing recruiting problems National Service (published by the Potomac Institute and give the military a certain leverage with Congress, and the funded in part by the Ford Foundation) concludes that despite administration is protecting the system...
...Those who the mid-Sixties and has written extensively on the subject in various volunteer for the active military and leave after their first term publications...
...It would ice, but President Carter has stated that if a draft were necesrequire registration and possibly even testing of draft-age sary in the future he would recommend it be combined with "a youth...
...bill...
...Have Senator Stennis and the "People are just going to say we're silly...
...During recently been unable to meet new enlistment goals...
...Simply stated: at age 18 everyone registers...
...The military duties...
...Universal National Service is also being Only now does the combination of factors just discussed championed as a response to high unemployment, alienation bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Congress, parts of the general and lack of motivation among the nation's youth...
...It Unreadiness for crisis...
...Higher education had long been there are few real obligations of citizenship in our democratic preparing for the downturn in the traditional student popula- system...
...AGAINST THE ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE It just isn't working HARRY A. MARMION would join the combat arms...
...It distinguishes a movement tofirst and second termers, would also leave if the retirement wards universal service from compulsory service by outlining system changed...
...in New doctors and dentists in both the active and reserve forces, and York City the figure is 3.5 out of ten and in Los Angeles four never in the history of AVF have quotas in these areas been out of ten...
...His job will be to volunteer fdr National Service, or (3) do nothing...
...The Reserves are No problem is more worrisome than the shortage of middle not ready...
...Except .in a television series, has anyone another neighbor calls it, that refuses to admit the adequacy of been called "Edith" in the past sixty years...
...some form of military conscription would be enacted...
...This 750,000...
...The stakes deal will depend on how the salary, fringe benefits and length are too high to depend upon a Rocky 11 miracle...
...A significant increase in this category of recruiting 100,000...
...Time, however, has enabled many to see the draft was in force about 20 percent of those inducted dropped glaring weaknesses of the current system of obtaining the out for a variety of reasons during the first years of service...
...Should the Con- could change markedly...
...organizations are being formed, resoultions passed, petitions recognized their debt to the soldiers of the 1960s and 1970s, signed, demonstrations held...
...In my judgment it is reasonable to oblige men and tion but the military felt that in a time of high national unem- women to register and be considered for service, though not ployment the all-volunteer force, with higher salaries, could necessarily without more available options than in the old meet military needs...
...discussed this year, especially in Washington...
...What will happen in the near term...
...Cost...
...lion's average and reaches 40 percent in some urban centers...
...Some critics of AVF see National Declining recruitment pool...
...Regis- Selective Service System...
...if not, then Congress may reinstitute a draft...
...The, military and the administration will sneak up on the skewed to favor participation in either the military or National public and its opposition to compulsion...
...It could also provide for a draft into the Reserves, after a much more comprehensive public service opportunity, where short period of training...
...The military one hundred employees in Washington, no state headquarters needs about 400,000 new recruits each year to fill its ranks...
...How can the military mobilize the reinforcement national weaknesses...
...Consider the following: necessary in a sophisticated military...
...Training time would be minimal...
...As I poured the coffee she asked whether I remembered even playing catch in our alley...
...You can tell she's no longer young, just by that acquires "clients" with the kind of "bumbling good will," as name, Edith...
...It would probably contain a national service option...
...This the all-volunteer force had cost $18 billion more than the draft problem area of military preparedness is least understood by would have if it had remained in effect...
...The President has recently nomitrants have three options: (1) volunteer for the military, (2) nated a Director of Selective Service...
...Should there be a legitimate national need to Chiefs of Staff are talking about a change in the way in which increase the AVF even by as much as 15 percent, there would military manpower needs are met...
...There must be of service package is finally enacted...
...Incentives would be vated...
...car might holler at them to get the hell out of here, but none of the householders around the block felt threatened by the occaKAIMARINE BYRNE teaches English at Mundelein College, Chicago...
...The apparatus for.registration will be actirandom selection into the military...
...Not much...
...Someone passing through in a the Stewart family...
...Each the Vietnam conflict, reserves were not called...
...The demographer's message Service as an alternative to the current system...
...We knew that they would be Her essays have appeared in America, The Reporter, The Chicagoan here only for a few hours...
...Still, it would be teer Army...
...It would take almost four months to Approximately 10 percent or 40,000 of these currently are induct the first draftee and another two months to conscript women...
...Pro-draft forces are opening a the Vietnam veterans who have been and continue to be treated Pandora's box again that had best remain closed...
...met...
...The results were a disaster...
...In Detroit one out of ten youths can pass the Navy literacy class...
...I much prefer the comment ascribed to cally, stubbornly...
...Marjorie S. Holt (R.-Md...
...Cutrent legislation proposed by Congressman Paul vote at the present time for a change in the AVF but will allow McCloskey has a fourth option which is really an amendment an increase in preparation...
...the military option could )cave a shorter period of fastly refused to consider seriously except in emergency situa- service, adequate salary and a G.I...
...By the time we would relieve some of the pressure...
...And in'a time of peace...
...the National Guard, like the VFW and the American class recruits...
...some reserve units that were.activated were decimated in Shortfalls in meeting new goals...
...includes national service, as well as a "do nothing" option In any event, the all-volunteer force is on the ropes, like a will increase middle class participation in the military...
...children of the middle and (this time) working classes...
...through the hedge of peonies that separates our narrow city Years ago we'd see Stewart children in Edith's yard, rolling house-lots, I knew she had something she-really wanted to talk in piles of maple leaves, eating hamburgers on the back steps...
...Carter also said such a program could however...
...West Adams Street where they lived...
...peacetime draft...
...One of the corAir Force with its extensive training and school opportunities nerstones of the all-volunteer concept was to keep the active did not meet its December 1978 quotas.At times the services military establishment reduced as much as possible and inhave been forced to offer a bonus to high school graduates who crease the Reserve and Guard capacity to enable activation within 60 or 90 days after a conflict begins...
...In 1978 the General Accounting Office reported that Weakness of the Reserves and National Guard...
...Clearly, National Service and the draft will be seriously Several other important factors are at work in this debate...
...then Edith would take them back to and Reader...
...If geopolitReserve...
...With such alternations...
...But this strategy HARRY A. MARMION, currently an educational consultant with the cannot be accomplished for the simple reason that without a American Council on Education in Washington, has been an observer draft the alternative of service in the reserves or National and participant in the military manpower procurement debate since Guard no longer attracts the numbers needed...
...Congress will not Service...
...A good fighter in the late rounds trying to go the distance...
...Among Edith's good works, I did are not casual kaffee klatchers, this morning when she stepped vaguely remember the Stewart family...
...Not too many people paid much attention...
...Even in a public, and even the administration to the realization that the "full employment" economy there would be a significant AVF is not the answer...
...percent of recruits in the all-volunteer force dropped out before No matter what claims are made to the contrary, the current completing their first term...
...How far Congress will go depends to voluntary service in the military...
...The army needs an active Reserve of whom the armed services act as an employer of last resort...
...This scheme includes service in the military as pants might serve for longer periods of time, receive modest national service and would undoubtedly mean that the objec- compensation, be assured vocational and educational opportives of the American military would be modified to include tunities while taking part in the program and a G.I, bill after domestic social service-an objective the military has stead- service...
...Three out of ten in Detroit pass the Army test...
...Conscription, it is said, would help restore the balance has belatedly recognized the difficulty this signifies for recruit- between rights and responsibilities and would generate a sense ing and the potential conflict between the military, colleges of public service among the young...
...Certainly the military would pick the gress be convinced that the all-volunteer force is not working, best by initiating stringent physical and mental requirements...
...of service are likewise not being attracted to the various back12 October 1979: 555 up components...
...a ,member of the House (and conveivably, this time, young women too)- 18-year-old Military Personnel Subcommittee which recently voted 5-4 to young men-who resist...
...a range of stages and options, with incentives but without Commonweal: 556 compulsion...
...The days of teachers' aids, mental institutions, and so forth, along with actions based on Gulf of Tonkin resolutions are long passed, military training...
...She years...
...In military manpower necessary to meet our legitimate national 1977, when the last figures were made public, more than 40 security needs...
...The latent so shabbily by their country...
...pressing for the restoration of the standby draft system that The administration has not said much about National Servexisted in the first years of the all-volunteer force...
Vol. 106 • October 1979 • No. 18
