Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Military Service

In World War 1, all Australian soldier enlisted voluntarily. When the war first began, this was more than enough to support the war effort overseas. But, when the news of the casualties and conditions at war became known on the home front, the number of enlistments fell rapidly. Australia was under a lot of pressure from Britain to ensure that the promised number of men would be enlisted. Under a lot of stress, Prime Minister William Hughes came to the decision the hold a referendum to see if the people of Australia agreed or disagreed with conscription and compulsory service overseas.

Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one

The main problem discovered is military members are experiencing psychological problems from stressors due to deployments and not seeking help for their discomforts. Many of the military members returning

Today, hundreds of thousands of service men and women and recent military veterans have seen combat. Many have been shot at, seen their buddies killed, or witnessed death up close. These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. “) Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, military men and women are more susceptible to having PTSD (PTSD: A Growing Epidemic.) And, with little help from the US, many Veterans do not get the help they need or get treated for PTSD. Military men and women begin to

Absolutely, positively, emphatically, unequivocally, without a doubt, NO! Not now, not ever! Well, maybe for one reason, in the event of an existential threat to our nation. Now that I have stated my opinion I will back this up with information from several studies providing evidence for continuing the worlds greatest all volunteer (entry) military force.

Since the Post 9/11 Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended, there has been a plethora of veterans, returning back home to the United States. Out of the thousands of veterans who were exposed to combat during their deployment, many of these soldiers experienced Acute Stress Disorder, which later turned into (PTSD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, after one month of their condition not being treated (Yehuda & Wong, 2000). What makes matters worse is that many of these veterans, who endured PTSD, fail to receive treatment for their disorder, which later led to other detrimental issues, including other psychological disorders, child abuse, divorce, substance abuse, suicide and job loss. In fact a study

The U.S. military produces some of the bravest most heroic men and women on earth. From the moment the oath of enlistment is made to the time of separation or retirement, these courageous souls endure a number of amazing, historic and sometimes unbelievable events. They are praise for their service and lift even higher for their sacrifice, although most are unaware of the true sacrifices are made by some of these men and women. The most visible sacrifices or “outer sacrifices” are loss of life or loss of limbs while the inner wounds are bouts with depression, sexual assault, divorce, and most common alcohol other drug abuse.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is presently known as post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS), is a disorder diagnosed by feelings of anxiety, depression, suicidal attempt or thoughts, repeated nightmares, and unexpected surges of violence. Many veterans are suffering from PTSD. “It has been estimated that between 500,000 and 700,000 Vietnam veterans, about one-fourth of all who served, suffer from PTSD.” (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Veterans with PTSD have an unbelievably strong link to both suicide attempts and thinking about suicide. Military veterans are exceedingly susceptible to suicide in contrast to citizens. This is caused by the guilt they acquired from action in combat. There is a prevalent cause-and-effect relationship between military service and an unusual risk of suicide. There are studies showing that Vietnam veterans have a higher risk than veterans from our more recent wars. ''I think it demonstrates the experience of being drafted during the Vietnam era had profound, long- term psychological effects on people.” (Likelihood of suicide found unusually high for Vietnam veterans). Vietnam veterans are approximately twice as probable to die by suicide as men in the same age group who evaded the war. There were many men drafted who had to experience things that they were not prepared for, nor did they sign up for. This set them up to be easily affected by the war. Even veterans who signed up for the military are also strongly affected by the outcomes of war. Society doesn’t understand the suffering veterans go through when they have PTSD. It was not always taken so seriously and it wasn’t understood until recently. “In World War I, PTSD was called shell-shock, in World War II, combat fatigue.” (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Our society needs to realize the effect of the war on our veterans. Society can no longer be so blind to these

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

According to a study constructed by JAMA Psychiatry, a medical journal published by the American Medical Association, explained that one out of five soldiers, who have enlisted into the military have suffered from a mental disorder (Hastings). With this statistic, there are doubts regarding the military’s assessments of the enlisted. Matthew Nock, a Harvard University psychologist, led a study on mental disorders in the military, and concluded that

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.

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.

A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.

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).

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.