Benefits Of Mandatory Military Service In The United States

“Should the United State of America adopt the idea that every American citizen should serve at least 2 years in the military?”, in my opinion, this is a terrible idea. America is “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave”. Going into the military should be a personal choice.What would this benefit anyways? This is, in my opinion, a bad idea, this would change the course of America’s history as we know it.

The United States should not bring back mandatory military service, also known as “the draft”. I personally am not supportive of the draft due to many issues including health and mental concerns brought about by the war. These concerns include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, and Substance Abuse, just to name a few. I also feel that the education of the soldiers would be limited because after age 18, most people go to college. Age 18 is also the age males must enlist for the draft. If I were forced into the Army due to a draft, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to live life to the fullest. For instance, if a soldier was severely injured, the injury would affect the way that person would of live the rest of their life. The injury could even potentially cut the person’s life short. The mental health, physical health, education, and life in general should be taken into consideration before the United States sends young men and women out to war. These diseases are very harmful and we should think about others not just ourselves.

Throughout human history, war has permeated the lives of billions of people. From early conflicts such as conquests to control vast swaths of land by Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great to modern, global wars such as the World Wars, the concept of war has been at the forefront of humanity’s mind for centuries. However, in recent years, opposition to war and lack of participation in the military has become a common theme in many countries, including the United States. To help alleviate the troubles caused by lack of participation, the United States instituted a law allowing for the conscription of its citizens. Conscription, which can also be referred to as a draft, is defined as the compulsory drafting of citizens into military service (What). The Draft has been utilized throughout US History in a couple of prominent wars; however, opposition has manifested against the Vietnam War and the draft, rightfully stemming from ethical opposition to the war and hatred for what the war and the draft stood for.

Compulsory National Service was accepted by many Americans back when the nation was starting to become a powerhouse and wars were beginning to emerge. However, forcing young adults to join or at least register for the military at the age of 18 or is wrong because it is against their free will, they may have a different career path in mind that could be disrupted if a war is to emerge and it will affect their mental state and they could be diagnosed with PTSD.

As senior year continues on, more and more members of my class are turning 18. As we legally become adults, we wait for something that makes us feel like an adult. For ladies, nothing really happens. For the gentlemen however, they must sign up for the selective service. The selective service has been a mandatory part of a young mans’ right of passage for almost 100 years, and in that time a draft has only occurred four times. In modern times, no young man even thinks about the draft, because to him, it is a piece of history, and not something of the present era. This idea brings up the question of whether the draft should still be in place, and where or not women should be required to sign up as well.

Less than one percent of all Americans are enlisted in the military. An even smaller percentage of high school students are enlisted. Students are thought to be incompetent, and not mature enough to decide on enlisting in the military. However, students should be allowed to join the military. The military offers many benefits students can use to help their future. The protection of our country is not overlooked for recruits; they are awarded many personal benefits as well. Tuition assistance, job training, and many benefits that help prepare recruits for occupations while enlisted. Not only are students getting great benefits, but they are also in a small group of professional workers.

Military and public service should not be mandatory for all high school graduates because some students have health issues. These health issues will cause the military to possess sickly men and women who cannot do their jobs properly. Health issues would also hinder public service. Students would struggle to complete their service if they had serious health issues. Many students would be seriously injured or die with mandatory service.

Think also, the possibility of forcing young criminals between the ages of 18 and 25 to join the military. Maybe due to joining the military, these young criminals would be reformed into honorable, self-respecting individuals or become leaders of our great nation. In addition, if military conscription were implemented, the tax payers would not have to pay for the juvenile criminals to be locked up in maximum or minimum security centers.

The topic of mandatory national service has been around for years now, and there will always be arguments on whether it should be enforced or not. Some may say that it takes away our freedom, but is it not what gives us freedom in the first place? The United States’ military, national service, as well as community service is based on volunteers. That is what makes this country great, but there are less volunteers as years go by. Crime increases, streets are not safe anymore, Americans are oblivious to what is happening around the world. There are so many opportunities to give back to the country, yet, not many care. Today’s generation is based on social trends, and self-gratification. There is also the fact that many young people do not know what to do with their life after high school, some continue to college or focus on work, others do not work nor study. Therefore, all young men and women should be required to give two years to national service because it can help solve problems as well as build the community back together.

The GI Bill also provides assistance with career advancement. Entrepreneurship training helps veterans start their own businesses, flight training allows veterans to become airline pilots, and funding for license and certification testing helps servicemen and women become certified mechanics, therapists, web developers, and attorneys (“Education Benefits”, 2017).

In todays society the war in the Middle East can be considered a controversial topic. The men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan put their lives on the line every day to help keep our country free. No one has forced them to serve in the United States Armed Forces they have made their own conscience decision to serve. However these men and women only make up a small percentage of the United States population. Should all men and women be required to serve in the U.S. armed forces when they graduate from high school or should the United States require mandatory military service?

The U.S. Congress is considering a requirement of one year of civil service by either participating in the military, or contributing to a civilian service program, a mandate that would be imposed on high school graduates prior to them entering college. Consequently, this is directed towards all high school students in the U.S. In my opinion, this requirement would be in direct conflict with all that we value as citizens of the United States of America. Moreover, I feel that this move towards mandated civil service aimed at all high school graduates would infringe on our basic freedom of choice and our right to "The American Dream", the ability to choose what we do and have the freedom to try to achieve our dreams.

Many kids at the age of 18 decide if they are going to go to college or not. Some don't go because they have other plans in mind. 12% of people don't go to college because they don't have the money to pay. Now if are country required all 18-year-olds to do compulsory military service, you would get a huge discount for college. This would result in many more students attending college. I think this would benefit our country greatly by helping kids get a better education after their service was complete.

Making military service mandatory sound like it would be a good idea. This can give discipline, makes stronger citizens, but the reality is doing this takes away freedom and goes against the very foundations of what America is supposed to be. Mandatory military service should not be required for American citizens.

Most people have, at one point or another, considered what they were going to do with their lives. Whether a person would like to become an activist, an artisan or a business professional, the military has something for everyone. Finding a path in life is often filled with uncertainty and procrastination. The United States military is a path in itself, should one wish to retire from it; however, should a person wish to make their own path, there are benefits for that as well that can remove all doubt and curb procrastination. Due to these many benefits, I believe that it should be mandatory for all adults to enlist for a minimum of twenty-four months.