H.R. 5741: Universal National Service Act

Pat

Supporter
Mr. RANGEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

111th CONGRESS
H. R. 5741
To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 15, 2010

I hope Jim gets the same drill sergeant I had... ;)
 

Doug S.

The protoplasm may be 72, but the spirit is 32!
Lifetime Supporter
Charlie Rangel seems like a bit of a loose cannon to me.......too bad he's a Democrat, although the repubs seem to have bigger fish to fry. I bet this stands not a chance in hell of passing.

Doug
 
Nothing wrong with National Service. I guess that's easy for me to say at age 43!

A lot of young men have nothing better to do that do something worthwhile for their country. In fact, I think that pretty much includes all young men. I certainly wouldn't have had a problem with it in my younger years. Of course, I haven't walked foot patrols in Iraq before so I probably don't really know what I'm talking about.....
 

Pat

Supporter
It is interesting that there is so little press about it. To put it in a historical context, those of you that are old enough to remember all the Vietnam protests may recall that they suddenly diminished in 1973 yet the war wasn't over until 1975. What happened??? The draft ended. Why are there not the massive protests as in the 1960's to the Iraq/Afghanistan wars-no draft. In the U.S. the draft created the central opposition to the war. In my military days (yep, I was drafted), I've led soldiers that were both draftees and volunteers and the latter are undeniably better motivated, disciplined and mature. Rangel (who has his hands full with his pending corruption trial in the house) has introduced this before as a way to "share the wealth" in terms of conscripting middle class whites as a way to reinvigorate the type of anti-war sentiments of the '60s. But from personal experience, a conscript army would never have had the success the U.S. Army had in Desert Storm or Iraq. Unfortunately, I'm not so optimistic about Afghanistan. But like Vietnam, that’s a strategic not tactical failure. If any of you want to know why, read "On Strategy" by Harry Summers. It's the definitive analysis as to why we lost in Vietnam. It appears we are making exactly the same mistakes in Obama's war in Afghanistan.
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Veek,

Your absolutly right about the end of the draft eliminating most of the protest, but even before that the "draft lottery" put a damper on a lot of the protests.

In one day, the lottery removed 2/3's of the young men from the posibility of being drafted.

Its kind of sad but it appears that most of these "war" protesters cared less about the morals of war and more about their own lives!
 
I can't help but wonder about the timing of this bill and the up-coming ethics trial of Mr Rangel. Apparently he knows a lot about public service.....and tax evasion.

While I am familliar with Mr Rangel's war record, (as with taxes in the case of Mr Rangel) it is quite easy to require things of other people that won't apply to you.
 

Pat

Supporter
Veek,

Your absolutly right about the end of the draft eliminating most of the protest, but even before that the "draft lottery" put a damper on a lot of the protests.

In one day, the lottery removed 2/3's of the young men from the posibility of being drafted.

Its kind of sad but it appears that most of these "war" protesters cared less about the morals of war and more about their own lives!

Yikes Jim, we agree!!! Sending young men and women into harms way with no clear purpose is obscene. By the way, my lottery number was 214. They went to 215...
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Doug, your the first person who I've come across who beat my number............

just thinking, a couple of comi pinkos like us? I'm just saying...........

Have a good day my friend.
 

Doug S.

The protoplasm may be 72, but the spirit is 32!
Lifetime Supporter
I was a college freshman living in the dorm when the lottery drawing was completed. When I returned from a night class, I asked my room-mate if he knew when my birthday was drawn. He asked what my birthday was and I told him (12/30). He said, "I think it was #3". I thought he was just yanking my chain, so I laughed and we went out for a beer.

Then I read the newspaper the next day.....it wasn't so funny then!!!!

Yep, we must be a couple of commie, pinko hippie freaks, that's for sure!!!

Doug
 

Terry Oxandale

Skinny Man
... it is quite easy to require things of other people that won't apply to you.

As seems to be the case with most all public servants in the country any more. It even feels weird to call them public servants. How about self-servants…yeah...that sounds better.

My guess is that if this country ever used the draft to support genuine threats to our security that cannot be undertaken with more sophisticated methods, outside to putting one in harms way (in other words, not squander lives for political or personal agendas), the I'd say it has a chance. But nobody trusts the government to do the right thing any more.

Lotto #108 (Thank God)
 

Pat

Supporter
On lottery day we had a party at my fraternity house at LSU. If you got over 150 you got beer, under 100 - Preparation H.
With 214 as a lottery number I figured I was safe for sure. Apparently my draft board had a lot of people with flat feet, bad teeth or something else since I received the letter "from my friends and neighbors". When I took the physical, I pulled out all the stops. I ate only bananas for three days prior (to flunk the urinalysis). Held my breath prior to the blood pressure test and told them I was a chronic bet wetter, had chronic back pain, was afraid of guns and unsure about my sexuality.
At the last station they commended me for my inventiveness and told me that I my skin would soon break out and that basic training would resolve any anxieties I may have about weapons, women or whiskey and that the physical training would take care of any lingering lumbar maladies I may have had. THAT was a bad day...
I certainly never thought I'd be in for 30 years.
 

Doug S.

The protoplasm may be 72, but the spirit is 32!
Lifetime Supporter
You should have taken the advice of Arlo Guthrie.....gone out the night before your pre-induction physical and gotten ".....good and drunk so that I could look and feel my very best" (if you haven't heard it, search out a copy of "Alice's Restaurant"...it's NOT about "Alice's Restaurant", believe me)!

Like you, I went with everything I had to convince them to fail me.....records of my severe allergies, etc......nothing worked, until they told me to turn my head and cough. They didn't like what they found there.......classified me 4F for that. The next semester the college understood when I insisted that I was not going to take any more ROTC classes.

My dad was a lifer....32 years, 4 in the Navy and 28 in the U.S. Air Force, including combat over Europe during WWII with confirmed kills. My hat's off to you, Veek, for your service!

Doug
 
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