This posting is authored by Scott (a.k.a. The Reinman):
Since the institution of the Selective Service System, women dodged the bullet (pun intended) of signing away your freedom. Yes, we haven’t had the draft active since the Vietnam war, and yes there is no major reason to assume a draft will be necessary even in this time of war, but signing that little card on your eighteenth birthday is never as simple as it seems. Being forced to sign that paper, even though Gillette makes you feel manly with a nice razor as a birthday gift, is being forced to put your name into the lottery no one wants to win. There have been several attempts at bills being passed through congress to amend this legislation, but they have never come close to passing. A case brought on by four males made it all the way to the Supreme Court in Rostker v. Goldberg where it was ruled that registering only men was not a violation of the constitution. In 1994, Clinton had the department of justice review this issue and they determined the following: since the purpose of the draft is to acquire individuals as direct support infantry troops and women are not allowed in front line combat positions, registering women for the draft would serve no purpose as they couldn’t fill the roles. Knowing that thousands of men have involuntarily given up their lives through this program, I think there are a few ways to analyze this situation.
I think there is no doubt, that this part of history has forever impacted the view of women in the military. While men are viewed as courageous for putting their lives on the line in every war in history, women have played the behind the scenes roles. The only woman I can think of from my history classes is Molly Pitcher (I know several of you just remembered that third grade story as well). While these positions were important for sustaining our economy and directly supported the war, they were not the ones coming back home in wooden boxes. This reaffirmed the military as a ‘man’s world.’ Since the all-volunteer status was reinstated, women have nearly tripled their presence in the armed forces. Except for the marines, they have the freedoms to assume nearly every position that isn’t front line combat. By keeping this old and inactive legislation the way it is, women are still cast in a negative light. Even if I don’t go to war or face the threat of a draft selection, I am still reminded of the years when my grandfather and many others were snatched from their homes. Even though the numbers aren’t proportional, the women that do enlist and serve our country are willing and able to defend our nation, and I think this cuts down the respect they deserve.
3 comments:
There are only a handful of nations that draft men and women. One nation is Israel and the women may not be in combat, but they are trained snipers. I feel there is no reason women cannot be drafted alongside men. We have fought for equal rights in every other aspect. What makes women better than men? We request all the same rights with none of the sacrifices. Women have the same right to volunteer for military service, but in a time of need (when a draft is started) we just wait for it to be over. This is one of the greatest double standards in our nation today.
As much as I feel that women should have all of the same rights as men do, I would not want to be drafted, so I'm happy that we are not included in the Selective Service System. I know that sounds bad, but it's the truth. Maybe that's because the thought of voluntarily joining the armed forces has never crossed my mind--it is not something I have ever wanted to do. I greatly respect the men and women who do choose to join and feel that within these forces there should be equality. It's a shame that women are not allowed to do everything men can within the armed fores.
I personally think that the draft should not exist for men or women. It's a scary thought that the men in my life would be taken away if the draft was to come into play in the future. However, since it does exist and probably will "just in case" something happens, I think that women should also be enlisted in the draft. I agree with "dpaolillo" in that "we have fought for equal rights in every other aspect." I wonder what the hard core feminists think about women and the draft.
Post a Comment