[Vision2020] Fwd: A War for Us, Fought by Them
Joan Opyr
auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Tue, 4 May 2004 09:31:54 -0700
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Dear Visionaries:
Here's something to consider -- how different do you suppose the conduct =
of this war would be if the children of the elite were obliged to fight i=
t? Would there have even been a war if Jenna and Barbara had been eligib=
le for the draft?
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
>From The New York Times:
May 4, 2004
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR =20
A War for Us, Fought by Them
By WILLIAM BROYLES Jr.
ILSON, Wyo. =E2=80=94 The longest love affair of my life began with a sho=
tgun marriage. It was the height of the Vietnam War and my student deferm=
ent had run out. Desperate not to endanger myself or to interrupt my pers=
onal plans, I wanted to avoid military service altogether. I didn't have =
the resourcefulness of Bill Clinton, so I couldn't figure out how to dodg=
e the draft. I tried to escape into the National Guard, where I would be =
guaranteed not to be sent to war, but I lacked the connections of George =
W. Bush, so I couldn't slip ahead of the long waiting list. My attitude w=
as the same as Dick Cheney's: I was special, I had "other priorities." Le=
t other people do it. =20
When my draft notice came in 1968, I was relieved in a way. Although I ha=
d deep doubts about the war, I had become troubled about how I had angled=
to avoid military service. My classmates from high school were in the wa=
r; my classmates from college were not =E2=80=94 exactly the dynamic that=
exists today. But instead of reporting for service in the Army, on a whi=
m I joined the Marine Corps, the last place on earth I thought I belonged=
=20
My sacrifice turned out to be minimal. I survived a year as an infantry l=
ieutenant in Vietnam. I was not wounded; nor did I struggle for years wit=
h post-traumatic stress disorder. A long bout of survivor guilt was the p=
rice I paid. Others suffered far more, particularly those who had to serv=
e after the war had lost all sense of purpose for the men fighting it. I =
like to think that in spite of my being so unwilling at first, I did some=
small service to my country and to that enduring love of mine, the Unite=
d States Marine Corps.
To my profound surprise, the Marines did a far greater service to me. In =
three years I learned more about standards, commitment and yes, life, tha=
n I did in six years of university. I also learned that I had had no idea=
of my own limits: when I was exhausted after humping up and down jungle =
mountains in 100-degree heat with a 75-pound pack, terrified out of my mi=
nd, wanting only to quit, convinced I couldn't take another step, I found=
that in fact I could keep going for miles. And my life was put in the ha=
nds of young men I would otherwise never have met, by and large high-scho=
ol dropouts, who turned out to be among the finest people I have ever kno=
wn. =20
I am now the father of a young man who has far more character than I ever=
had. I joined the Marines because I had to; he signed up after college b=
ecause he felt he ought to. He volunteered for an elite unit and has serv=
ed in both Afghanistan and Iraq. When I see images of Americans in the wa=
r zones, I think of my son and his friends, many of whom I have come to k=
now and deeply respect. When I opened this newspaper yesterday and read t=
he front-page headline, "9 G.I.'s Killed," I didn't think in abstractions=
I thought very personally.
The problem is, I don't see the images of or read about any of the young =
men and women who, as Dick Cheney and I did, have "other priorities." The=
re are no immediate family members of any of the prime civilian planners =
of this war serving in it =E2=80=94 beginning with President Bush and ext=
ending deep into the Defense Department. Only one of the 535 members of C=
ongress, Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, has a child in the war =E2=80=
=94 and only half a dozen others have sons and daughters in the military.
The memorial service yesterday for Pat Tillman, the football star killed =
in Afghanistan, further points out this contrast. He remains the only pro=
fessional athlete of any sport who left his privileged life during this w=
ar and turned in his play uniform for a real one. With few exceptions, th=
e only men and women in military service are the profoundly patriotic or =
the economically needy. =20
It was not always so. In other wars, the men and women in charge made sur=
e their family members led the way. Since 9/11, the war on terrorism has =
often been compared to the generational challenge of Pearl Harbor; but Fr=
anklin D. Roosevelt's sons all enlisted soon after that attack. Both of L=
yndon B. Johnson's sons-in-law served in Vietnam.
This is less a matter of politics than privilege. The Democratic elites h=
ave not responded more nobly than have the Republican; it's just that the=
Democrats' hypocrisy is less acute. Our president's own family illustrat=
es the loss of the sense of responsibility that once went with privilege.=
In three generations the Bushes have gone from war hero in World War II,=
to war evader in Vietnam, to none of the extended family showing up in I=
raq and Afghanistan.
Pat Tillman didn't want to be singled out for having done what other patr=
iotic Americans his age should have done. The problem is, they aren't doi=
ng it. In spite of the president's insistence that our very civilization =
is at stake, the privileged aren't flocking to the flag. The war is being=
fought by Other People's Children. The war is impersonal for the very pe=
ople to whom it should be most personal. =20
If the children of the nation's elites were facing enemy fire without bod=
y armor, riding through gantlets of bombs in unarmored Humvees, fighting =
desperately in an increasingly hostile environment because of arrogant an=
d incompetent civilian leadership, then those problems might well find fa=
ster solutions. =20
The men and women on active duty today =E2=80=94 and their companions in =
the National Guard and the reserves =E2=80=94 have seen their willingness=
, and that of their families, to make sacrifices for their country stretc=
hed thin and finally abused. Thousands of soldiers promised a one-year to=
ur of duty have seen that promise turned into a lie. When Eric Shinseki, =
then the Army chief of staff, told the president that winning the war and=
peace in Iraq would take hundreds of thousands more troops, Mr. Bush end=
ed his career. As a result of this and other ill-advised decisions, the w=
ar is in danger of being lost, and my beloved military is being run into =
the ground. =20
This abuse of the voluntary military cannot continue. How to ensure adequ=
ate troop levels, with a diversity of backgrounds? How to require the pri=
vileged to shoulder their fair share? In other words, how to get today's =
equivalents of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney =E2=80=94 and me=
=E2=80=94 into the military, where their talents could strengthen and re=
vive our fighting forces? =20
The only solution is to bring back the draft. Not since the 19th century =
has America fought a war that lasted longer than a week with an all-volun=
teer army; we can't do it now. It is simply not built for a protracted ma=
jor conflict. The arguments against the draft =E2=80=94 that a voluntary =
army is of higher quality, that the elites will still find a way to evade=
service =E2=80=94 are bogus. In World War II we used a draft army to fig=
ht the Germans and Japanese =E2=80=94 two of the most powerful military m=
achines in history =E2=80=94 and we won. The problems in the military tow=
ard the end of Vietnam were not caused by the draft; they were the result=
of young Americans being sent to fight and die in a war that had become =
a disaster. =20
One of the few good legacies of Vietnam is that after years of abuses we =
finally learned how to run the draft fairly. A strictly impartial lottery=
, with no deferments, can ensure that the draft intake matches military n=
eeds. Chance, not connections or clever manipulation, would determine who=
serves. =20
If this war is truly worth fighting, then the burdens of doing so should =
fall on all Americans. If you support this war, but assume that Pat Tillm=
an and Other People's Children should fight it, then you are worse than a=
hypocrite. If it's not worth your family fighting it, then it's not wort=
h it, period. The draft is the truest test of public support for the admi=
nistration's handling of the war, which is perhaps why the administration=
is so dead set against bringing it back. =20
William Broyles Jr., the founding editor of Texas Monthly, wrote the scre=
enplay for "Cast Away."Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download=
: http://explorer.msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><H5>Dear Visionarie=
s:</H5> <H5>Here's something to consider -- how different do you suppose =
the conduct of this war would be if the children of the elite were o=
bliged to fight it? Would there have even been a war if Jenna and B=
arbara had been eligible for the draft?</H5> <H5>Joan Opyr/Aunt=
ie Establishment</H5> <H5>From The New York Times:</H5> <H5>May 4, 2004</=
H5> <P><NYT_KICKER><FONT color=3D#666666 size=3D-1><STRONG>OP-ED CONTRIBU=
TOR</STRONG></FONT> </NYT_KICKER><NYT_HEADLINE type=3D" " version=3D"1.0"=
></P> <H2>A War for Us, Fought by Them</H2> <P></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE=
type=3D" " version=3D"1.0"><FONT size=3D-1><STRONG>By WILLIAM BROYLES Jr=
</STRONG></FONT><BR></NYT_BYLINE> <TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0=
align=3Dright border=3D0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><NY=
T_TEXT></P> <P><IMG height=3D33 alt=3DW src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.c=
om/images/dropcap/w.gif" width=3D46 align=3Dleft border=3D0>ILSON, Wyo. =E2=
=80=94 The longest love affair of my life began with a shotgun marriage. =
It was the height of the Vietnam War and my student deferment had run out=
Desperate not to endanger myself or to interrupt my personal plans, I w=
anted to avoid military service altogether. I didn't have the resourceful=
ness of Bill Clinton, so I couldn't figure out how to dodge the draft. I =
tried to escape into the National Guard, where I would be guaranteed not =
to be sent to war, but I lacked the connections of <ALT-CODE idsrc=3D"nyt=
-per-pol" value=3D"Bush, George W" />George W. Bush, so I couldn't slip a=
head of the long waiting list. My attitude was the same as Dick Cheney's:=
I was special, I had "other priorities." Let other people do it. </P> <P=
>When my draft notice came in 1968, I was relieved in a way. Although I h=
ad deep doubts about the war, I had become troubled about how I had angle=
d to avoid military service. My classmates from high school were in the w=
ar; my classmates from college were not =E2=80=94 exactly the dynamic tha=
t exists today. But instead of reporting for service in the Army, on a wh=
im I joined the Marine Corps, the last place on earth I thought I belonge=
d. </P> <P>My sacrifice turned out to be minimal. I survived a year as an=
infantry lieutenant in Vietnam. I was not wounded; nor did I struggle fo=
r years with post-traumatic stress disorder. A long bout of survivor guil=
t was the price I paid. Others suffered far more, particularly those who =
had to serve after the war had lost all sense of purpose for the men figh=
ting it. I like to think that in spite of my being so unwilling at first,=
I did some small service to my country and to that enduring love of mine=
, the United States Marine Corps.</P> <P>To my profound surprise, the Mar=
ines did a far greater service to me. In three years I learned more about=
standards, commitment and yes, life, than I did in six years of universi=
ty. I also learned that I had had no idea of my own limits: when I was ex=
hausted after humping up and down jungle mountains in 100-degree heat wit=
h a 75-pound pack, terrified out of my mind, wanting only to quit, convin=
ced I couldn't take another step, I found that in fact I could keep going=
for miles. And my life was put in the hands of young men I would otherwi=
se never have met, by and large high-school dropouts, who turned out to b=
e among the finest people I have ever known. </P> <P>I am now the father =
of a young man who has far more character than I ever had. I joined the M=
arines because I had to; he signed up after college because he felt he ou=
ght to. He volunteered for an elite unit and has served in both Afghanist=
an and Iraq. When I see images of Americans in the war zones, I think of =
my son and his friends, many of whom I have come to know and deeply respe=
ct. When I opened this newspaper yesterday and read the front-page headli=
ne, "9 G.I.'s Killed," I didn't think in abstractions. I thought very per=
sonally.</P> <P>The problem is, I don't see the images of or read about a=
ny of the young men and women who, as Dick Cheney and I did, have "other =
priorities." There are no immediate family members of any of the prime ci=
vilian planners of this war serving in it =E2=80=94 beginning with Presid=
ent Bush and extending deep into the Defense Department. Only one of the =
535 members of Congress, Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, has a child=
in the war =E2=80=94 and only half a dozen others have sons and daughter=
s in the military.</P> <P>The memorial service yesterday for Pat Tillman,=
the football star killed in Afghanistan, further points out this contras=
t. He remains the only professional athlete of any sport who left his pri=
vileged life during this war and turned in his play uniform for a real on=
e. With few exceptions, the only men and women in military service are th=
e profoundly patriotic or the economically needy. </P> <P>It was not alwa=
ys so. In other wars, the men and women in charge made sure their family =
members led the way. Since 9/11, the war on terrorism has often been comp=
ared to the generational challenge of Pearl Harbor; but Franklin D. Roose=
velt's sons all enlisted soon after that attack. Both of Lyndon B. Johnso=
n's sons-in-law served in Vietnam.</P> <P>This is less a matter of politi=
cs than privilege. The Democratic elites have not responded more nobly th=
an have the Republican; it's just that the Democrats' hypocrisy is less a=
cute. Our president's own family illustrates the loss of the sense of res=
ponsibility that once went with privilege. In three generations the Bushe=
s have gone from war hero in World War II, to war evader in Vietnam, to n=
one of the extended family showing up in Iraq and Afghanistan.</P> <P>Pat=
Tillman didn't want to be singled out for having done what other patriot=
ic Americans his age should have done. The problem is, they aren't doing =
it. In spite of the president's insistence that our very civilization is =
at stake, the privileged aren't flocking to the flag. The war is being fo=
ught by Other People's Children. The war is impersonal for the very peopl=
e to whom it should be most personal. </P> <P>If the children of the nati=
on's elites were facing enemy fire without body armor, riding through gan=
tlets of bombs in unarmored Humvees, fighting desperately in an increasin=
gly hostile environment because of arrogant and incompetent civilian lead=
ership, then those problems might well find faster solutions. </P> <P>The=
men and women on active duty today =E2=80=94 and their companions in the=
National Guard and the reserves =E2=80=94 have seen their willingness, a=
nd that of their families, to make sacrifices for their country stretched=
thin and finally abused. Thousands of soldiers promised a one-year tour =
of duty have seen that promise turned into a lie. When Eric Shinseki, the=
n the Army chief of staff, told the president that winning the war and pe=
ace in Iraq would take hundreds of thousands more troops, Mr. Bush ended =
his career. As a result of this and other ill-advised decisions, the war =
is in danger of being lost, and my beloved military is being run into the=
ground. </P> <P>This abuse of the voluntary military cannot continue. Ho=
w to ensure adequate troop levels, with a diversity of backgrounds? How t=
o require the privileged to shoulder their fair share? In other words, ho=
w to get today's equivalents of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney=
=E2=80=94 and me =E2=80=94 into the military, where their talents could =
strengthen and revive our fighting forces? </P> <P>The only solution is t=
o bring back the draft. Not since the 19th century has America fought a w=
ar that lasted longer than a week with an all-volunteer army; we can't do=
it now. It is simply not built for a protracted major conflict. The argu=
ments against the draft =E2=80=94 that a voluntary army is of higher qual=
ity, that the elites will still find a way to evade service =E2=80=94 are=
bogus. In World War II we used a draft army to fight the Germans and Jap=
anese =E2=80=94 two of the most powerful military machines in history =E2=
=80=94 and we won. The problems in the military toward the end of Vietnam=
were not caused by the draft; they were the result of young Americans be=
ing sent to fight and die in a war that had become a disaster. </P> <P>On=
e of the few good legacies of Vietnam is that after years of abuses we fi=
nally learned how to run the draft fairly. A strictly impartial lottery, =
with no deferments, can ensure that the draft intake matches military nee=
ds. Chance, not connections or clever manipulation, would determine who s=
erves. </P> <P>If this war is truly worth fighting, then the burdens of d=
oing so should fall on all Americans. If you support this war, but assume=
that Pat Tillman and Other People's Children should fight it, then you a=
re worse than a hypocrite. If it's not worth your family fighting it, the=
n it's not worth it, period. The draft is the truest test of public suppo=
rt for the administration's handling of the war, which is perhaps why the=
administration is so dead set against bringing it back. </P> <P><EM>Will=
iam Broyles Jr., the founding editor of Texas Monthly, wrote the screenpl=
ay for "Cast Away."</EM></P></BODY></HTML><br clear=3Dall><hr>Get more fr=
om the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href=3D'http://explorer.msn.=
com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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