Dodging the Bullet

I had an interesting conversation last week concerning military service.  We were discussing my time in the military and he mentioned he was called up to serve during the Vietnam War but dodged the draft. At first I thought he was joking, then I thought he was serious, but he was actually joking.  In truth, he was supposed to be drafted but before he left for training, he was out drinking with his friends and somehow broke his entire foot.  He voiced regret of not being able to go despite how he felt about the Vietnam War.

I started thinking about it.  I really have no problems with those who would dodge being drafted.  Yes, I believe it is a definite honor to serve in the military, and I am better off having served my time.  I also believe it would be better if every able man were to serve at least two years in the military.  However, I maintain it should be a volunteer force because typically, though not always, those who volunteer are more willing to do what needs to be done versus those who are dragged into something they never wanted to be part of in the first place. 

My true problem are those who willingly volunteer for the military but then try to get out when the number is called to deploy to war.  It is something that has always bothered me because no matter what excuse one can dream up, the individual should know the primary purpose of the military is for war. 

Trust me, I heard it all during my time in the military.  I have heard people say they only signed up for the free college money.  I cannot count the number of people who tried to get out of their enlistment or commission when the unit I was serving in received our deployment orders because they thought they were only in for the college money.  

I do not believe in the term "conscientious objector" because, again, history tells us what the military is all about.  One time I understood completely when a soldier in my brigade refused to carry a weapon in Iraq.  He was originally from Egypt, and he believed that raising arms against the Arabs in Iraq would be the same as raising arms against his own brothers and sisters.  Since he had been a skilled surgeon in Egypt, he was able to still deploy with our Brigade as a combat medic because he had a necessary skill that was required.  

However, Christians from America who join the military and then plea "conscientious objector" on the basis of the Bible stating "thou shalt not kill" first don't understand that verse and its meaning, and also show stupidity.  Again, they should realize what the military was about.  However, guess what?  I heard that excuse as well.  Ironically, I was a Christian minister in Washington State while serving in a combat brigade.  I could not tolerate hearing other Christians use that excuse.

The issue here is when someone volunteers to be in the military, then they should know what they are getting into.  The days of using the excuse of "the recruiter lied to me" are long gone with the accessibility of information on the Internet.  Heck, even before the advent of the Internet, there really was no excuse for "not knowing" what one was getting into.

I was glad a fellow soldier did not deploy with us to Iraq.  He had willfully volunteered to join the Army as a Combat Medic, but once we arrived to Fort Lewis, WA, he started to find ways to somehow get released from the Army.  Finally, after some minor criminal acts, he was left behind while we deployed to Iraq and dishonorably discharged.  No one in the unit had any respect for this guy and were more than happy to see him leave.

Just to be clear, I was not the model soldier.  I had my share of issues with authority figures receiving two Article 15's for Disrespect to NCOs.  However, I accepted I had screwed up and continued to fulfill my committment.  There were times I did not pull my weight but I think my continual persistence finally won my comrades over and they started pushing me to be better.  The point is even someone as weak and anti-social as myself found a way to make it but I would never have given up.  I would never have broken my oath to serve.  After all, what is a person if they are not able to keep their word?

I do recognize there are times that are extrenuating that would cause a person to not be able to fulfill their oath.  A good friend of mine left the Army because of a family emergency of which the Army refused to recognize.  Another friend had to be discharged due to medical reasons beyond her control.  Those type of situations I am not talking about.  I am talking about straight up breaking one's contract because they do not want to do the hard work.  They just wanted the benefits of wearing the uniform or they just couldn't grow up.

Bottom line, if you volunteer to serve than you serve.  That means you do what you may not like to do but you are honor bound to fulfill.  Do your research before even agreeing to talk to a recruiter.  Do not be naive like I was when I joined (I'll discuss that another time).  Know what you are getting into before you get into it.  Trust me, it is better never to bother joining than it is to join and then try to get out because you simply never wanted to be there in the first place.

Untii next time...