The intrepid Frontline team has done it again. Its documentary, Wounded Platoon, addresses the tragic by-products of militarism on a human scale. It is a sensitive insight into the difficult and tragic lives of some of our American soldiers who participated in the Iraq War.
The simple reality that armies are groups of trained killers comes to light. In the days of volunteer armies, it is more and more likely that military personnel will be recruited from populations which are dysfunctional in civilian society. This dysfunction includes criminal histories and histories of untreated mental illness.
A volunteer army in a country which promotes nationalism and aggressive actions outside its borders is inherently unjust. The poor bear the weight, while the wealthy call the shots. This is a sad anachronism in a modern time, when universal human and economic justice seem possible. While, as a proponent of non-violence, I would personally resist joining a compulsory, all-inclusive draft, I think it is the only fair system in a country which decides to rely on military power to foster its interests. All citizens, with exemptions or service alternatives for pacifists of conscience, should be required to participate in the military.
There is much more to responsible citizenship than placing a "Support Our Troops" sticker on the back of a car. Paying taxes without cheating through loopholes, working for equality for all citizens and tending to those within the nation who need help are all elements of being good Americans. While I personally feel that the military should be deployed defensively, primarily within our own borders, I feel that a citizenry which supports military solutions in international conflicts should support a universal draft for all able men and women.
