Why The Draft Matters!

On December 20, 1957, Elvis was drafted into the Army, so to celebrate Amber and Kendra are exploring the impacts of the military draft. They explore its history, as well as its future. Is the draft still needed and if so, should women be a part of it? Listen and find out.  

Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
This is Episode 24. Why the draft matters. Welcome to why blank matters where Explore how small topics have big impacts. I'm your host, Kendra Cork. And I'm your host, Amber Williams. Hey, Amber. Yes, Kendra? What did the sailor say to the other when they had a problem? Oh, I don't know. We're in the same boat. That's cute. S o. Today we are talking about the draft. Um, and the reason we kind of the military draft don't tell the NBA's over here, but, um, part of reason we chose that is because today's episode is airing on December 18th 1st off my birthday's tomorrow, Um, but secondly, 62 years ago, on December 17th Elvis was actually drafted into the military. Yep. And so he received his draft, and he had already, like, become famous right before the draft. So he he did the right thing. He signed up for the draft when he was 18 years old, and you'll learn later in the draft that they don't like to recruit 18 year olds. They like to recruit 20 year olds. So they recruited him. Are they drafted him two years after the fact? But he was in the middle of filming a movie, uh, king of Creole. I think it is what it waas. And so he asked for a deferment to serve. I think it was roughly about a year and 1/2 after the fact. And so he went into the draft in 1958. He was drafted during peace time. So that's also something interesting to note. And then he got out in 1960. Um, he made it to the rank of sergeant, and, um, he was offered a position with the Navy and the Air Force. But it was something that was going to offer a lot of favoritism. I think it was like some sort of role in, like, maybe radio or something along those lines where he's already has some notoriety. But he chose to be treated like any other G I and decided to join the Army. Well, his mom died while while he was serving, but he had enough money, um, where he was able to take his dad and grandmother to Germany to go live with him, and yeah, and then he went back to being a famous person. Yeah, and I mean, I think every race, have a herd of the draft like the military draft, but I don't think a lot of people really understand it or what it is or why we have it. And so the current U. S military is an all volunteer force. But the law requires that men who are between the ages of 18 and 25 register through the Selective Service system. And so we have a rolling roster of people who, if need be, can be drafted. So we have a draft. It's just not an active draft. We've had the Selective Service kind of place that we've had it throughout history. But the current one took place or kind of came into being when FDR signed the Selective Training and Service Act in 1940 and actually create the country's first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service system as an independent federal agency. And so from 1948 to 1973 man were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces that couldn't be filled through voluntary means. But the draft goes all the way back to like ancient Mesopotamia, and then we go into the more modern draft which starts in the French Revolution. Yeah. So in 17 93 you have kinky thing is King Louis, Um, who was over Thrones, And I think they beheaded him, actually. Um, but France was just kind of an upheaval, and nobody really knew who was going to rule. In all, the surrounding country started trying to invade because they wanted to take it over. So France realized they needed more people in their military. In order to do that, they initiated conscription, which is come from the Latin word Lee Geo. And it's the fancy word for draft. Pretty much. And basically, they said that all Frenchmen between 18 and 25 who were capable had to participate. But when they said all Frenchmen, they didn't just mean men. So there was a declaration that was put out by the French National Assembly, and they said that they needed all people. So young said Young man shall fight. Married men shall forge arms. The women shall make tents and clothes and serve in the hospitals. The Children's show turn linen and two lint. Even though I have No,

spk_1:   4:57
I don't like, what does that

spk_0:   4:59
mean? Um, and the old man shall go to the public squares to arouse the courage and the warriors, the courage of the warriors and preach hatred of kings. Um, it was very unpopular. People did not like this. Um, I think a lot of it had to do with wording because in 17 98 they replace this with the Jordan Act, which was still a conscription. But it just the way it was described is that any Frenchman is a soldier and owes himself to the defense of the nation. And this is really how Napoleon was able to grow his army. To the extent that he did and why he was so successful and because he was so successful. Other countries started implementing similar systems because Napoleon's taking them over, and they don't They want to keep their land in the country and all that stuff. So right, right. And so then the most notable time after that, that the draft was used, at least in United States woods for the Civil war. Um, but there were some problems with this, and if you were wealthy enough, you could pay to get out of the draft roughly $300 which doesn't sound like much by today's standards. But back then, that was a pretty sizable about money. Yeah, and it was such a big deal. People were very upset and it actually led to riots. Um, and the bloody draft riots or the bloody Yeah, Yeah, the draft riots and the most destructive was in New York, where 119 people died. And, um, once the Civil War was over, they dismantled the draft. And it wasn't until 1917 that Woodrow Wilson signed the Selective Service at to prepare the U. S for involvement in World War. Because at the time, the U. S s standing army on Lee had about 100,000 people, which is super small like that's less than the population of Savannah. Yeah, because the population in the U. S. At the time was 103 million. So okay, but they also drafted during that time anywhere. Anybody between the ages of 2130 was the A train jen. And by the end of World War 1 24 million people had registered and 2.8 million were drafted. But the draft was once again dissolved after the war ended, and then 1940 three's, when you see the first time the African American men were allowed to or required to join the draft or join the service acquired seem different to you that sarcastically, I guess it's allowed if you want to end required if you don't think, Um, and there were drafts during World War Two and as well as the Korean War. But when Vietnam came along, the resistance against the draft was beyond what had ever been right. Um, particularly because a lot of people didn't agree with that war, one of them being Mohammed Ali. And he said that he had no quarrels with the Viet Cong, and therefore he didn't want to serve. So he was stripped of his heavyweight title when it came to boxing, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. I believe, uh, he was sending some amount of time and in prison, but it was appealed. It was three years since we got back into the ring, and so that leads us into, you know, conscientious objectors. So there are ways to, um, avoid the draft, and there are some people that you know, I don't need to be drafted, so there's, like certain, like hardship, things and what nots like. If you are the sole survivor of your family, or if you need to provide for your parents or if you have, like six kids, you can avoid the draft. There's medical requirements, which makes somebody unable to serve and whatnot. Um, and then there's also conscientious objectors, and there's a series of questions. It consists of a panel of five people, and they disturb in if you are worthy to be a conscientious objector or not. So there's several series of questions, and it's like, Do you have a problem with war? And, like, do you have a problem with this war? And if you answer, yes, you're going to get drafted? Well, another thing about all the exemptions to is there have been people who have argued that the way exemptions air carried out can sometimes disproportionately affect people of lower income. Right? Um, one, because during Vietnam there were deferments allowed for certain professions. So, like teaching is one that gets people teaching doctor have to serve engineer scientists. And I think if you were in school, you didn't have like if you're a college. You didn't have to. Um, yes, if you could. Because obviously, like now more people go to college than they did back then. But back then, unless you could afford it, I don't think she got loans existed back then. Right? Unless you could afford to go. You weren't in school. And so the tuition certainly wasn't expensive, as expensive as it is now, but not as many people were going. But, um, but because people in these, like higher pay professions and people who are in college were exempt. But even with medical exemptions, there were a lot of medical issues that the they performing the exams often fell to detect. But if you had could afford to go to a private doctor and have them provide medical documentation, that was accepted. Um, So if if your doctor wrote something saying you had the grown, then they would accept that. But if you didn't have the means to do that, then obviously you were expected you expect to deserve, um not to mention there have been some that have argued that require military service helps pull people out of poverty. Um, there was a quote by e. I think he was the secretary of defense Dearing Nixon's time, but could be wrong on that. But the secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, and he said that military service freed poor men from the squalid ghettos of their external environment. So it was very much part of the cold kind of part of the culture to see that as a way to force people out of poverty as well, Right? So then, after Vietnam, when Jimmy Carter was elected as president, he established a pardon for the majority of draft Dodgers. However, there were some exemptions. Some people still did get prosecuted in certain deserters and whatnot here as a whole, because I think there were roughly like there were over 200,000 people that didn't show up because some people evaded the draft by just not registering for this length of service. And then some, um, evaded the draft by leaving the country entirely. Canada or they change their identity and they hit it home. So there were a number of ways to avoid the draft, most of which I think most of it went to Canada. Canada reports that they had roughly 30,000 draft Dodgers show up there when they when they ran their numbers, they estimate is like 30,000. Okay, so following wth e Vietnam War economists So following the Vietnam War, economists advised against the draft. Yes, So, obviously, the draft was super popular during Vietnam, and Nixon and his administration wanted to find a way to end it. But they needed an articulable reason why. And so there were economists who they wrote a big report. And they argued that conscription is a violation of economic freedom, first of all, because it forces people into a specific job and limits how they're able to spend their free time. Um, and actually, whether a country has a has conscription or not is part of economic freedom index for any country. So if they're trying to figure out what economic freedom is for an area, they take that into consideration. But they said that reduces the productivity or the productive capacity of a society because it doesn't take full advantage of someone specialization because you're just forcing them into a role like you might be really great. Um, Bay tainer. But yeah, maybe really great is something but not great. And another thing to keep in mind is that it's only like 123% that are combat roles. So the majority of the roles within the military or not directly tied to combat, however, they might be in a support role and still face combat. Yeah, um, but there's I mean, every military base is kind of like a small town or maybe a large town, I don't know, but there are people that you do baking. They induce the service's, they do communications. They do. I t they do cybersecurity. And they do, Ah, firefighting in all of these things. And so a very small percent of the 1% are actually directly tied to combat in some way. Yeah. Economists also argued that specialization yields efficiency gains because I obviously you do something more often, you're gonna become better at it. And they said that conscription creates an environment of short timers, people who are never really there long enough to master their skill. The other issue is you have people who might make a good amount of money out in the public sector doing whatever job they do right, forcing them into a job that pays less significantly less money. So you're taking away economic opportunity for them, right? But, you know, the military pays by rank and not by skill set. Yeah, So, I mean, you might have somebody that is doing an I t job for a fraction of the money of what they'd be earning outside. But then you might have somebody who is a cook who'd be making a lot more money in the military as a post in the civilian world. So it's kind of like to fold. Yeah, but yes, that's one of the other arguments is that people? It forces people to take losses and pay. Um, and they said that is one of the that ending. The draft is considered to be one of the Onley things that conservative economic I cannot say this work service conservative economist Milton Fred Frederica believe his name is and liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith ever agreed on. So if you have bring together the liberals and the conservatives, obviously you've hit a good topic. But

spk_1:   15:30
then the other

spk_0:   15:30
things I bring up is the typical arguments against a draft in general is that volunteers are gonna work harder. They're going to serve longer you're going to reduce training calls because training new people in any job is expensive, right? Um, and it also gonna have an improved experience is kind of what they argue. But one of the other arguments against the bringing back the draft is the fact that one, for the most part, we have enough people volunteering to maintain, for the most part, what we need. Well, that's debatable. As of November? Well, yeah, well, for the most part, every day, for the most part. But also there was an article where they were talking Thio Ash Carter, who is the former secretary of defense under Obama, Um, or one of the secretary of Defense's under Obama. And basically, what he said is we don't need a draft, because in a year there are roughly four million Americans who turn 18 and it's estimated the only half of those would meet physical fitness standards. A lot of the other ones are going to meet mental fitness standards. They're not gonna have a high school diploma, but there's also they don't allow single parents, um, anybody with a criminal history, anybody with evidence of drug use. So, by the way, time you take away all those things, right? You're really only getting a fraction that even meet today standards to begin with, right? So his argument that it's not really gonna do that much good irony in that is that, you know, four million people turn 18 years old, but recruit 20 year olds. Yes, I would like when they do the draft. Um, so the way it works, and I had no idea how this works. They, um if they decided today they were gonna call a draft, what would happen is they would set up a lottery where and it would be like in front of all the media and might even be the president who announces the numbers. I know when they did it. Dearing World War Two. I think I think FDR called out the numbers. Um, but what they do is they have one ball that has dates in it. So So it's really like a lottery. It was a legit water. So there there are, like, dates. So January 4th, December 19th September 20th. Like, there's a ball for every single day of the year. Okay. And then the other lottery thing, there is numbers also is one through 366. Because we have 365 days in the year, 3 66 is, too. So you have for people who are born on leap year. So you have, like, an additional number. Okay, and what they dio is they'll pull out a ball from the date to say the date is March 4th. Okay, and then they pull one out of the number and it's 1 64 That means that people born on March 4th will be in the 164th group to get drafted on, and they start by people who turned 20 the year of the draft. So if they decided to implement a draft next year, it would be people who turned 20 and 2020. Yeah, so they would have been important, like 2000. Yeah, and then they go from age 22 21 on up till 26. I actually think you could get drafted up older. I think it's like 30 something, but if you don't register by the time you're 26 you'll be penalized necessarily prosecuted. I guess it's possible, but, ah, if you don't register for the draft by the time you are 26 you're a male. Um, you will. It's gonna be a lot harder for you to receive federal benefits. Be eligible for federal in government state government jobs. But there are some people who think that we should bring back the draft. Yeah. So the last month there was an article published by Military Times where they quoted a major general, retired Army major. General Dennis, I don't want to say his last name. I'm afraid I'm gonna mess up in L A I C h bleach. I don't know. I don't know if you're listening, Major General, I'm sorry. Uh, but yeah, but basically, he said that there's not enough young people who are willing and able to join the armed forces because he said of the 1.2 million who qualify for the military service. And that's once you take away people for the medical in the middle and all the other exemptions right on Lee. About 180,000 are willing and able to join the military, and he says that that leaves more than a 1,000,000 recruits on the table. But the biggest thing is, last year the Army actually failed to meet its recruitment goals. Actually, it's been like a couple of years, right where they've been lowering the numbers of what they need to fill the room might be, um, but the other interesting part of that is like the standards for the military to join fluctuate with how many people are currently in and how many people they currently need. Something. The people, the standards get lower, but if they know any people than the Sanders get higher. So. But the major general also said that demand for people in the armed forces is only going to increase as one. We try to stay competitive with China and Russia, right, but also because of the rise and humanitarian and disaster relief, which is something I didn't think about it, but so much of our military is getting tied up. But I got held up in Puerto Rico helping with hurricane relief every hurricane, every wildfire in the United States, and that's primarily taken on by the National Guard and sometimes supplemented by active duty, especially for like wildfires. But most of the maps, mission or maths missions. I'm sorry. Um but it's it's a firefighting mission link from the air to drop the powder on the wildfires and whatnots in California or Nebraska or wherever else gets wildfires. So, yeah, I mean, and that's another thing people don't realize is that our National Guard gets activated for almost every natural disaster. So as far as the ones I've been involved in, it was like the water crisis in Toledo, Ohio, in 2014 where the water went toxic from like micro assistance and agricultural runoff. Um, the Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Parking Harvey, Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Matthew. So all the hurricanes we get called in. So the other thing is, there's ah thing by infographics. Yeah, yes, infographics did a pretty cool video on. Yeah, and so they did a war simulation, Um, because it's very contentious between China and Taiwan, because China wants to claim Taiwan and Taiwan says they're independent. And basically they're saying that any war with China will get American drafted just because the treaty between the United States and when we have a treaty, but also because, um, the Chinese military has, like two million people in this military with over half a 1,000,000 in its reserve where currently we only have roughly 1.3 1,000,000 with around 800,000 reserve. Um, And while this video talks about how, like, on an air and sea like we have an advantage. But if we had to take it toe land like we would need significantly Maur people write in orderto win. Um, well, I mean, we have better air power and, uh, more other things. So what if we took a battle to land? I'm not advocating a war with China. Um, there's lots of debate on if that's inevitable or not. But I, uh, we never got to that. Hopefully

spk_1:   23:14
not. But the

spk_0:   23:15
more interesting argument again for bringing back the draft is there was an article in Time magazine. It was by Elliot Ackerman, who is a veteran. He started four tours or five tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And the article's called why bringing back the draft could stop America's Forever wars because he talked about how the way we wage war today is a historical and something without end, he said. Never before has America engaged in a protracted conflict with an all volunteer military that was funded primarily through deficit spending. You talked about how, like are the wars that began from 9 11 have surpassed Vietnam as the longest wars, surpassing it by 12 years. Right. Um, I think the thing that hit me the most was he said that never before in our history has an American been able to fight in a war that is older than they are. The 2019 mark, the first year that someone born after 9 11 would be eligible to enlist, which is crazy. Yeah. Beautiful, really old.

spk_1:   24:29
That was, like, 10

spk_0:   24:30
years old. One night I was 11 years old when 9 11 happened, you know? So I made the decision when I saw 9 11 happened when I was 11 years old that I wanted to serve. I mean, I wanted to serve before that, but that kind of like instilled it. But now you know, they learn about 9 11 and textbooks and former news clips and seven inches crazy. Yeah, I guess. I guess thing is, how can you understand why you're fighting if you weren't there to see the initial start of it, I guess. Does that make sense. I mean, it wasn't there. I

spk_1:   25:00
mean, you weren't there,

spk_0:   25:01
but like I saw it on the news, like I remember sitting in my eighth grade classroom. It was the day of our yearbook photos. Oh, my God. Yeah. Um, and I remember sitting in my English class room and like it was on the TV and that we were all watching it happen. Um, so, like, I wasn't, like, physically there. Um, but we definitely watched it. Yeah, I remember seeing the second tower, the second tower, get it live. And then it is not just Ackerman who thinks that this is the way there's multiple articles of ox. Also did an article and what they talked about how when we ended the draft, we kind of severed America's ties to the military with average civilian. Um, and there's a lot of quotes from various sources saying that, um, the divide between civilian and military life is is the widest it's been in a long time. But another thing that was really interesting is you know, the draft kind of merged that relationship between civilians and the military, but the military was also hated during Vietnam and after Vietnam. Um, and so much so that my uncles came home like from Vietnam, and they were spat on when they got at the airport. When I came home from Afghanistan, I had groups of people I didn't even know waiting in line to hug me. Some of them are like 10 year old girl scouts. And it was It was, like, very heartwarming, like, I don't know what my service would mean. Uh, if I came home when I were spat on you No, no, I mean, I definitely think that is, would be a very traumatic were, like thing to come home to. We hold our military members to, like, such a pristine image like we expect perfection. I mean, that's not possible. But, I mean, our military kind of represents the best of the United States right now. And you can see this because, like every dog food, commercial, every beer commercial, like there's some actor actress betraying a military member because that uniform brings feelings of nostalgia, dedication? I don't know. I don't know what it is, but there's no higher like endorsement right now than from the military. And that's why people will, like, have actors wear the uniform. Yeah. And that wouldn't That wouldn't happen after Vietnam. No, because in ending the draft definitely gave the military of reverence they didn't have before. And part of that, because it made them this, like, other thing like it made them. Like, for once, is like a positive group of others versus a negative. Um, but because, like, the average citizen doesn't have skin in the game for lack of better terms. But they're not the ones making a sacrifice, and actually one they aren't really paying attention to foreign affairs. People don't even know that. It's still going on like the war in Afghanistan. Yeah. Yeah. Uh uh. The end box. I talked about how there was a poll in 2016. They said 64% of Americans weren't sure if we were still at war in Afghanistan is crazy. But also, they argue that it could that reinstating the draft it in the favor wars, because if people were having to make sacrifices themselves, would they be is willing to allow the war to go on. Right. Um, because if it's something that's happening to somebody else, you're less likely to think of it, right? Um, the other big changes that have happened is in a in 2015 they passed where women were allowed to serve in combat position. But because of that is kind of opened up the idea of, like, should women be required to sign up for this length of service and potentially be drafted? Um, and there are a lot of arguments for and against May actually developed the National Commission on Military National in Public Service, which is an 11 member bipartisan commission. And they were formed to basically do a full analysis of the Selective Service system and the actual have their recommendations released by March of next year. Um, well, and they were doing hearings, and they're looking get one how well the service works there, looking at whether women should be required to be drafted. They're also looking at whether we should have a draft at all. They're looking at a whole bunch of different factors. Um, but I know during the hearings, there was, uh, Katie Van Damme, who was a Ford or Marine compact helicopter pilot. And in the hearing to Congress, she said that you know, women tend outnumber men in college, um, in higher education as a whole. And they have a lot of different skills at the military need. Especially now that, um, a lot of our combat isn't necessarily done on a battlefield. Um, and she said that to absolutely nor over half of the talent pool, the talent pool of ever half the population, she said, it seems ill advised, is the kind of way I could think to put it was her words. Um, you know that some arguments, you know, four. Keeping women out as they have increased injuries, Do you to, You know, men in women's bodies are different. Doesn't mean one's superior inferior, but they are. Do you have, like, a physiological differences? Um, I mean, I know, like, I think women should be included in the draft. Um, but that's just my personal opinion. Just cause one of the arguments is that well, so in February of 2019 a federal judge in Texas rolled that a male only registration requirement is unconstitutional, and part of the reason he ruled that way is because the Supreme Court has ruled on multiple cases that outlawing the basically outlaw gender based discrimination, saying you can't discriminate or leave people out or force them to do certain things strictly because of their gender. That's like That's like some art, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, like RBG like core like stuff. So I'm all for with other thing is actually the guy who root the article. But why reinstating the draft would end are Forever wars. His argument was that our military doesn't just solely exist to fight and win wars, but it's also there to serve as a representation of us. And if women are included, then we're not getting a full representation of our population. So yeah, and I was traditionally very supportive of women being in the draft. I don't actually know where I stand now. Um, they would have to be some stipulations for me to support women in, which is ironic because I'm in the military and, you know, I do want support equal rights, even when it comes to like things like the draft in military service and what not. But I you know, I think there needs to be some stipulation that, like if there's a family, um, a family unit, I don't think the mother and the father should both be drafted. But, you know, the definition of a family has changed dramatically since the last draft. But another thing to keep in mind is, you know, a draft in the future, you could be drafted into the space force. And that sounds not terrible. And who knows what the future will hold? But, uh, most of this base force jobs will be on the ground doing some sort of security or cyber security or logistics role. I think, uh, rather than you know, you Buzz Lightyear. Yes. None, But, um but yeah, I'm a big proponent that any organization or club or group or anything, um, having diversity and a representation of all different genders or races and cultures is always gonna produce better outcomes because we all have different experiences and different things to contribute, and you're going to get come up with better solutions. And, um, I think you're gonna get a better quality and that this is my personal a man pressure. There's some research to back that up a cz well, but that's also my personal opinion that any time you can have a good representation of the people and have a diverse representation. Then you're gonna be better. The other thing to think about. If they do decide to reinstate the draft at some point in our future, whether includes women or doesn't include women, the other thing is like, How will it be taken? An oath of public perception compared to the past? Because they did a poll in was actually in England. I would love to see the poll numbers here in the U. S. I don't know that anybody's actually asking these questions. Um, but The Telegraph talked about how, like 69% of the people that they interviewed said they didn't think that people today were mentally prepared for a draft. Another war came because they said that we're taught more now to take feelings and emotions and the consideration. But the other pole they did with the Independent, they found that four and 10 millennial said they would dodge the draft if a world war broke out. Not like they would dodge the draft just for me. But like if a world war broke out, they said, Yes, I will absolutely dodge the draft and, like 20% said they didn't know what they would do, and only 12% said they would volunteer and serve in case of a world war. Um, I am a millennial. That is currently and so I think you know. So it would be interesting to see how that would play out in, like, our modern What do you think? There's a lot of, like, negative stereotypes about millennials being a millennial people bash on millennials. No, no, you don't say.

spk_1:   34:52
Um but

spk_0:   34:55
but it would be interesting to see how I guess would be millennials will be getting drafted at this point. Or would it be Jeon Generation Z Probably Gen Z? Because we're getting old way. Our people forget how millennials are I turned 32 actually, uh, tomorrow. Yeah. Happy birthday. So, um so, yeah, I'm definitely getting a lot. They would not draft me at this point, but, um, because it was like, how generations now especially, you know, I think there's a lot of different attitudes about these kind of things. Also, people not even remembering 9 11 or being alive when 9 11 happened. So it just be interesting to see how that would kind of play out. And now, uh, I think that's all we have for today. We will be taking a break next week for Christmas. Um, so married our happy officer. Happy holidays. Whenever holiday, you observe that surf. Um, so happy holidays, everybody. I hope that you have some time to spend with your family. Um, Chris Christmas is my absolute favorite. I love it so much. He's got the best Christmas decoration. I do have the best Christmas decorations, huh? Do do do. She's got a little bobcat with a no fat in her dining room, too. Yeah, the Bobcats always there. But we will be back on New Year's Eve, and we're going to start the year off with And topic. We're really excited about what? Your senses, Um and yeah. So we will see you in 2020 and Ah, happy holidays. Happy New Year And we will save them. Have a good one. Bye.