Mar 30th, 2008, 09:54 PM
Since I was a high school senior on 11 September 2001, and since I'm a philosophically-inclined pensive douche, I've done a ton of thinking about the armed services for a long time. In fact, the day before that event they put up fliers to sign up for the ASVAB, and two days later I signed up for it out of expectation that it might have a huge bearing on my future whether I liked it or not.
In short, I am in favor of the military as it stands in the American ideal, but I'm hugely opposed to how I've noticed it to actually work. The idea that we should reward our young people with an education for becoming a functioning and visible extension of democracy abroad--that is fantastic. The reality that we're sending them off in one of the most counter-productive wars in history (and I DO know my history) that makes the rest of the world hate us is just sickening. The fact that we treat our veterans like shit after the fact is unspeakable, let alone the question of private contractors gleefully sponging the money.
Even before the Trade Center attacks, I thought that America could benefit well from compulsory military service. It's kind of a game theory issue; if all my classmates had to join the services, then I would do so without complaint. This would be especially great if the bulk of the military was applied to civil projects, as well it should be in times of peace.
My situation was that after I took the test and everyone was talking about a draft under their breath, I was one signature away from becoming a nuclear engineer for the Navy. I didn't sign it because there was a war going on, and if I HAD to be involved then I wanted a conscionable position. With the navy actively bombing Kabul and later Baghdad, I decided that I would rather take the risk of getting shot at daily than to seal my place in involvement of civilian attacks. And, to be perfectly honest, when the Afghan war began and I was sickened at the disproportionate reliance on bombings I did invest some amount of effort into figuring out which European country would make the best home for me as soon as I hit age 18. With the draft not ever happening, this all amounted to my just going to college and participating in war protests.
So, what I tell people is that they should join if it makes sense for them in terms of personal development, financial growth, and sense of conscience. None of that fits for me, but I absolutely support anyone who wishes to better themselves with armed service. Yes, it's unfortunate that an idiotic war is involved right now, but all humans in all of history have been victims of their time and place.
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