Weekend Warriors and the need for a draft

The August 23, 2007 edition of the Reveille reports that the Army National Guard is working on a system to give soldiers a more stable deployment schedule. According to the Camp Shelby paper guard units are now being scheduled for 400 day deployments that will occur four years apart. The Guard is now saying up front you will be deployed and depending on when you enlist in the cycle you may be deployed two times during you six year commitment. Throw in your 2 year commitment to the Active Ready Reserve and you could conceivably face three deployments. So much for "Weekend Warriors" who want to serve their communities during times of need as advertised on TV. Is it any wonder that the Guard is having trouble meeting recruitment goals?
The latest edition of Newsweek has a well written article about why we need a draft. Written by a former Marine Corp Officer who served in Iraq and lost comrades in Fullujah he makes an interesting case for the draft. While picking up the pieces of soldiers and humvees hit by an IED he watched an MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle drive by. It was owned and operated by a private contracting company. He said it made their vehicle look like a Pinto in a Ferrari showroom. MRAP's cost five times more than the most up-armored Humvee. He said it became clear to hime that America's greatest strength, it's economic might, was not fully engaged in Iraq. "People need a personal, vested, blood or money interest to maximize potential." Contractors have MRAP's, but not marines....According to the author of this article, until the wealthy have a vested interest, until the sons and daughters of the politicians and the upper class are sitting in poorly armored humvees the best gear won't get paid for. Eighteen months after the marines asked for MRAP's the vehicles are finally being delivered, but at half the number the Pentagon has promised.
This war on Terrorism needs to more discomforting to the average American than just bad news on the TV! Maybe then we won't let a president railroad us into an unnecessary war and maybe we'll have a Congress with a little backbone. Maybe diplomacy will be used before guns!