Join The People Who’ve Joined The Army — Or Don’t. It’s Your Choice

Posted by Morbo

Recent news reports indicate that the Army is having difficulty meeting its recruiting goals. This is not surprising, given that the country is involved in an unpopular war in Iraq that has already claimed many soldiers’ lives.

The military has another problem as well: desertion. Although less publicized, the number of soldiers going AWOL is on the upswing as well.

The March issue of Harper’s contains an interesting story about desertions in the military. It’s well worth a look. (It’s not online at Harpers.org, but this site appears to have published the article online.)

To Morbo, the test of superior journalism is, “Do you find yourself thinking about what you’ve read hours later?” By this standard, Kathy Dobie’s piece meets the test with flying colors. The next day I was still mulling over what I had read. I even consulted Mrs. Morbo and urged her to read the piece to solicit her opinion. I couldn’t help but feel that I was missing something.

Why is this piece nagging at me? Here’s my problem: Dobie writes in great detail about several soldiers who joined the Army or the Marines and then decided the military life was not for them. Feeling trapped and on the verge of panic, they deserted. These are gut-wrenching tales, well told by a talented writer; you can’t help but feel the angst each would-be soldier is going through. You also feel sympathy for these guys. Dobie uses their letters home and personal interviews to take you to their psychological place. You feel their discomfort and desperation.

And yet I find that I can’t sympathize with them as much as I expected. I strongly disagreed with the war in Iraq, I can plainly grasp the mental turmoil these young people face — yet I keep going back to one obvious fact: It’s an all-volunteer military. None of them had to join it.

I’ve always opposed the draft. Not everyone is cut out to be soldier, and I see no need for universal conscription. Most Americans love their country and will willingly defend it in time of real need. But not all need is real, and not all wars are just. For example, I can understand why some fled the draft during the Vietnam War.

But there’s no draft now, and none of the young people profiled in this article — and most of them are about 18 or 19 — were forced into the service against their will. Of course, we all know young people can makes mistakes. Lots of people are messed up at age 18, and one’s long-term goals can be hazy. It’s perfectly understandable. I was a libertarian conservative at that age, so I know how unstable those years can be.

I also appreciate that young people living in rural areas or small towns in depressed regions where jobs are few may feel they have limited options. Military recruiters are often given unprecedented access to public school students in these areas, and, if the claims made by some of the soldiers Dobie interviewed are accurate, the recruiters are sometimes not honest with the students about what they face once they sign up.

Some mistakes young people make can be corrected. If you enroll in a college intending to major in engineering but decide you like political science better, you can change your major. If you don’t like your school, you can transfer.

Joining the Army or the Marines is different. It is a serious step. The government spends money recruiting a young person and preparing him or her for the service. Therefore, the government has a stake in what happens and is reluctant to simply let a recruit simply walk away because of a change of heart. Increasingly, the military is court-martialing deserters.

The stakes are high, and any young person considering signing up should be aware of that. After reading Dobie’s article, a few things occurred to me — things that it might useful for young people facing uncertain futures to know.

A few caveats: First, I do not claim to be an expert on the military. The sum of my experience is three semesters of ROTC in college (which I took because at my school it was an alternative to gym class, which I was mightily tired of by then). While I worked my way up to sergeant, that experience was nothing like the real thing. We were mere fodder, play troops, as it were, for those who intended to go into the service as officers upon graduation.

Also, I do not intend through this post to bash the military or say no one should join. There are people who love the life the service offers and many others, who after a period of adjustment, like the fit well enough to stay for a long time. I know people who have made the military a career and done quite well with it. If it’s what you want, and you are sure of it, don’t hold back.

But if you’re a young person who is not certain, here are some things to consider:

* Don’t join the military if you’re not comfortable with the idea of killing people: Soldiers kill people. It’s grim, but it’s what they do. Playing a game on your Xbox where you blow away pixel people is not practice for real killing. If you aren’t on board with the possibility that, as a soldier, you might have to kill real people, don’t sign on the dotted line.

* If a military recruiter tells you that you won’t be sent overseas during a time of war, that recruiter is lying. If the country is at war, and you sign on as a common soldier, be prepared to fight that war. Unless you have special skills that for someone reason might be needed stateside (and let’s face it, you don’t), chances are your butt is going to the front line.

* The National Guard isn’t just a bunch of guys and gals who help out after a hurricane. Sure, the National Guard does that. They provide vital services and security after a natural disaster. I, for one, am thankful for that. But they are soldiers, and in a time of war, Guard members can and probably will be shipped overseas to fight that war. Join the Guard only if you are prepared for this possibility.

* Intellectual life in the military is not high. Sorry to be blunt, but don’t join the military expecting a rich intellectual life. If you crave late-night bull sessions about Nietzsche, you belong in college.

Now run off and read Dobie’s article and let me know what you think. If you believe I’m all wet, as is certainly possible, don’t hesitate to tell me.