Why aren't we supporting soldiers?

Parent Cafe
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<p>The NYT is bascially saying in todays paper that the majority of the US doesn’t agree with the war in Iraq and are staying out of it. Not volunteering for service no matter their convictions, not allowing the war to affect their daily lives other than having to get to the airport earlier.
What does this say about us as a country? That we are eager to vote for policies and politicians who lead us into war- but dont’ want to support the soldiers who fight the war for us?
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/politics/24troops.html?pagewanted=1[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/politics/24troops.html?pagewanted=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I have said before that I think mandatory community service should be required of all high school graduates- whether state side or military, and that alternate opportunities be found for students who are not able to graduate/or support given until they are able to attain a comparable certificate.
We receive a lot of benefits by living in the US, why doesn’t anyone feel obligated to support it ?
Paying taxes isnt the only way we should be involved- especially when many of us try and get out of that as much as possible</p>

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<p>That is very true. I remember some democratic candidate even brought that up in the 2004 Presidential campaign. That instead of asking the people to make sacrifices as during WWII, the nation’s leaders asked the people to ‘consume more and to get out and support business especially tourism’ after 9/11.</p>

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<p>Support the troops and support the war are very very different…and it often appears that even our Government isn’t even doing all it can for our soldiers…I think one big problem is that once people have joined, the rules slip and slide- for how long you can be deployed, what your duties will be, and if you were even considering the National Guard or the Reserves, would you feel secure in what you would be asked to do…I had friends who a couple of years ago were considering doing the weekend duty thing, helping with whatever was needed in an emergency, but now, they wouldn’t take the chance becuase they could get sent oversees for a year or more…</p>

<p>I support my soldiers, but do not support the war, but we are in it now…and while the soldiers are trying their best, doing what they can, the bigger plan isn’t so clear…</p>

<p>We do service here, we volunteer here, in our city, and we do a lot and have for years and years…</p>

<p>I guess when we get a tax break during a time of war, and we hear about millions and millions of dollars being unaccounted for, and we hear the the civilian contractors (mercenaries) are getting paid 5 times what our soldiers are with our money, when we here that husbands and wives with children are being sent at the same time, that people are being kept in longer than they were “promised”…it raises an eyebrow</p>

<p>I support the troops, I just can’t support the government in this</p>

<p>Another thing, in the past, minorities accounted for a big proportion of recruits, higher percentage than in the general population, now that has shifted…the percentage of minority recruits is about equal to its population in the country</p>

<p>I feel for the vets, I feel for the homeless vets, the disabled, the ones coming back maimed for life…its not their fault and they are not to blame</p>

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<p>Emeraldkity4 is this what you are advocating??</p>

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<p>you mean do I support a draft?
What I have been advocating is required community service from high school graduates- before college or the work force- so what I am thinking wouldn’t just be in wartime- but to support the country in a planned fashion all the time- regardless of family income or educational background
In order for it to work- you couldn’t get out of it- even if you had health reasons- there would be appropriate work ( for example one recent amputee from the service is finishing his stint by doing paperwork)
I realize that many “support the soldiers” but dont’ support the war- but I think that we need to think more about how our voting habits affect life for ourselves and others.
I think that if the Bush twins for example- had to walk their daddys talk, that we might be less likely to implement policies that lead to war.
Why I would allow exceptions to military duty would be because I think that those who cannot bear weapons because of their personal beliefs should be honored, but that shouldn’t exempt them from making a contribution to our country.</p>

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<p>So post high school there would be a gov’t. income for this period of community service?? I am having a hard time imagining this…most people I know “give back” through community service through high school and college hopefully beyond. Are you advocating the Bush theory of Faith Based Initiative?? If what you are saying is that community service organizations will provide funds for this then how does it become community service???</p>

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<p>I don’t see most people participating in community service
Schools do require some hours to graduate- however many students don’t make use of it- for instance one girl I know felt that she should get community service hours by helping her sister sweep up in her beauty shop. Because she would likely benefit from that in some way- I don’t feel that would be community service unless her efforts enabled her sister to then offer a service to people who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
I know people who tithe to their church- with what little income they have- at the same time recieve benefits from the church from their food/clothing/furniture bank- but never have as far as I know done what I would consider “community service”.
Just as our tax dollars support the military our tax dollars support community organizations- I don’t fully understand the faith based initiative and what it encompasses so I will not endorse it one way or another.
I don’t think that publicly funded organizations should discriminate by race religion or sex, and I don’t think organizations that do should benefit from our taxes.
Because I think community service should be across the board and because I think it should be enough time and effort involved to be"meaningful" there would be a small living stipend involved- like with Americorps or Freedom Corps- I prefer a nonsectarian volunteer service over say- allowing young people to perform missionary work for their service- however- if the missionary work was through a church but didn’t have converting those they were helping as a main objective- I would even be ok with that
Oh dear- am I turning into a republician?</p>

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<p>A current U.S. Army officer is wondering the same thing.</p>

<p><a href=“http://knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_3946335,00.html[/url]”>http://knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_3946335,00.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>

This is an excellent idea, but I wonder how expensive it would be and whether it would damage our economy. Sharing a significant common experience should help bring the Country together and hopefully make more people proud of having contributed to this Nation.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure where I come out on the “mandatory” part of the service, but if our universities and colleges bought into this concept, they could clearly implement it without government intervention. Suppose a consortium of top colleges, starting with the Ivy League and other top 50 colleges/universities refused to admit any student right out of high school. Instead, they would mandate at least a year to have elapsed before admitting anyone. How the potential applicant spent that year would be his or her choice, but clearly the colleges would be within their rights to expect some sort of meaningful use of the time. They could even provide affirmative action for those who opted for military service (yeah, right … I know we would be living in a parallel universe when a college gives preferential treatment to anyone who serves in the military.)</p>

<p>What you would have is a whole world of choices - go right to college, but perhaps at a perceived inferior school or have a gap year with the hope of doing something good for society, or possibly just earning some money to be used for college. The choice would be theirs.</p>

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<p>I agree with the idea of mandatory community service.</p>

<p>I don’t know anyone in this country including pacifists who lacks support for our soldiers. No one wants our soldiers injured or killed.</p>

<p>A lot of people, however, including me don’t believe in this war, and don’t support our country’s entering the war. I am a former military officer and am very sorry that our soldiers are fighting a war that I believe is unnecessary and unjust.</p>

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<p>I don’t know anyone in this country including pacifists who lacks support for our soldiors. No one wants our soldiors injured or killed.</p>

<p>Well, here’s at least one at a San Francisco “peace” protest:</p>

<p><a href=“http://homepage.mac.com/cfj/.Pictures/shoot-officers-sf-031503.jpg[/url]”>http://homepage.mac.com/cfj/.Pictures/shoot-officers-sf-031503.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>But I get your point.</p>

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<p>I’m not in favor of mandatory community service unless it is retroactice to every able person alive in this country. </p>

<p>The idea is a little too close to fascism for me.</p>

<p>Why do we like to give away our personal freedoms?</p>

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<p>I don’t think requiring community service is giving up freedom
on the contrary- I see it as terribly empowering
I see too many students who after high school have no idea what to do- and drift into very low paying, low skill jobs with no hope of getting out of that track
I see students who are very bright- who intend on going to college- but are focused on how much money they can make and the things they can buy
Both viewpoints seem to me to be very deadening and narrow
By virtue of its mission, community service benefits the community
It is giving back
People who have no skills or few skills can recieve training while on the job and gain focus by seeing how their work benefits others
People who are focused on power and prestige can see that someone who is in need isn’t necessarily less intelligent, less caring, lessa member of the community.
For the most part students have received a public education K-12, this would be their time to give back to the community what they gained.
We have “public servants” politicians who serve only because of their personal wealth- otherwise they would not be able to afford it.
Id like at least at some point in their lives for them to really experience how most people live</p>

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<p>I am a 46 yo white, suburban,southern republican and I think we don’t give our young people enough credit for their desire to help others. I think we don’t have to make community service mandatory-just make it easier say to take a ‘gap’ year help in -credible, defined ways --then go on to college.</p>

<p>An example my son is a national merit scholar–he could not take a year off and be eligible for scholarships to civilian schools. LEts just enable kids to pursue service with out it being madatory</p>

<p>As to the support-my son (see above -is in a prep program and will be at West Point in fall of 2006) . HE views it as a way to give ‘selfless service’ to the country --and drive tanks! I can support you being against the war, but they troops are where they are at because of lawful, civilian orders. I am agreeing with the idea that you can be against the war but for the troops </p>

<p>SUpport them in a tangible way. Just one example that is a gateway to real help supporting the troops. I hope one day my son hears from you all</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/[/url]”>http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I didn’t realize that the govt already does require community service for people living in public housing- this editorial has some interesting points
That it isnt’ just the poor who are having their lifestyles subsidized ( duh)</p>

<p>

this numbers are outdated Im sure it is from 2 years ago
<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-10-06-dreier_x.htm[/url]”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-10-06-dreier_x.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>For the life of me, I can’t see what compulsory community service has to do with the fact that folks don’t want to go fight Bush’s war? Is the idea to depress the wages of low-wage worker even further than they are now? Take away all the jobs of CNAs, nursing home aids, folks who clean up in the pound, clean state and local parks, or make furniture for state offices (prisoners currently do that) because fewer Americans don’t like the reception they’re getting in Iraq? Make the military a more attractive option?</p>

<p>I suppose I could support mandatory community service, but I think it should be for 45 year olds, when the contributions could really make a difference, and wouldn’t be taking away the opportunities of those with minimal opportunity to begin with. How about a mandatory year for high school grads or dropouts working for free at Wal-Mart? It would have exactly the same impact, and, of course, the wealth of the nation depends upon it. </p>

<p>In either case, I hardly think of it as “support for the soldiers”.</p>

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<p>(P.S. I should add that I say this knowing that my older d, not yet 18, has spent four of the last 12 months, even while completing her first year of college, doing relief-related work in a tsunami- and flood-affected area of south India, and paid for it with funds she raised herself. And my younger one - age 14 - flew across the country to play a benefit recital for a program that works with survivors of genocide in Burundi, and over the course of the year raised more than $3,500. Didn’t require the government standing over the heads - they might not have even have “approved” of the work.)</p>

<p>As for the troops and the Iraqi people? Best thing we could do for both of them is to bring the soldiers home TOMORROW. At 9 a.m.</p>

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<p>There is a huge difference in supporting the troops and supporting the war. I hate the war. I have from the start, but I support that soldiers and hope with all my heart that they can come home safely. After all, both of my brothers are now in the army and one’s already spent over a year in Iraq. As for people not signing up for the service, etc, I don’t see this where I live. In fact, just about everyone I’ve talked to in the past year has known someone who was serving.</p>

<p>As to mandatory community service, this is the most ridiculous idea I ever heard. Hello? Community service should be volunteer out of the goodness of people’s hearts. Why would you want someone there who doesn’t want to be there? Additionally, the reason more people aren’t doing community service might not be what you think. I, for example, would not have been able to do community service in high school. My parents were both disabled, my father in especially poor condition, my mom still trying to work, and I had to be home with him in case of emergency and to generally do the things that needed done around the house. In college I offered to volunteer at my local library and they didn’t get back to me for a year. Situations are not always as simple as they first appear.</p>

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<p>Speak for yourself, EK4.</p>

<p>So far I and my family have “adopted” 2 soldiers stationed in Iraq, sending regular correspondence, “care packages,” specially designed desert boots (an upgrade from standard issue). We have also contributed $ to Operation Air Conditioner <a href=“http://www.operationac.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.operationac.com</a> , an organization started by Frankie Mayo to provide air conditioners to troops in Iraq. I have also sent a box of six hand knit and crocheted lap rugs to Ramstein AFB for wounded being transported out, so they may have their own blanket for the trip, each with a thank-you note.</p>

<p>Also, connected with my work, I have made contact with an Iraqi engineering professor (University of Baghdad) and sent him copies of ASME journals, at my own expense. The first bag was about 57 pounds of engineering journals. The academic scientists in Iraq have lived in terror, with no freedom to travel or even communicate with the outside for DECADES. This professor told me that when the bag of journals arrived, he burst into tears. It was the first current information in engineering he had seen in over 8 years. (The last previous contact he had was a trip to a conference in India where he spent every spare moment xeroxing journals to take back to Iraq.)</p>

<p>There are many, many opportunities for each of us to “support the troops” whether or not one agrees politically with the current administration in Washington (and I mean ALL branches of government).</p>

<p>Mini, you show your partisan attitude in your comments. You certainly don’t hesitate to bask in the deeds of your children, but what have you done to support your country? You have not embraced the culture of America, you have not assimilated, if you don’t support the spread of democracy in the world. It doesn’t require war for democracy to triumph, but sometimes war is inevitable.</p>

<p>BTW, this isn’t “Bush’s War”–the Congress supported this action. There were at least 30% of Americans opposed to our involvement in WWII, also, but once we were in it, most Americans did their best to help, knowing it would shorten the fighting and obtain a resolution.</p>

<p>Personally, I did not care for the “interventions” carried out by Reagan (Grenada) or Clinton (Bosnia) either, but once it was done, I didn’t rail against either president the way you have. Speaking of Bosnia, we were supposed to be out in 1 year, right? Last time I looked, it was 9+ years and counting…</p>