Why Are Young People Willing to Sacrifice Their Lives and Limbs for Ours?
Enlistments in the Army, Marines, and combat units of the Navy are sufficient to meet the levels required for military service in the years since September 11, 2001.
The order and degree of importance varies with individuals, but the obvious reasons are:
1. A sense of patriotism – the initial response to the destruction of the World Trade Center drove many to wish to help protect our shores and values
2. The opportunity to gain experience that might benefit them in civilian life along with GI Bill education benefits
3. A spirit of adventure coupled with a belief that they would survive unharmed – or at least enjoy safety in numbers
4. Since 2008, a dwindling number of good job opportunities for the untrained, lesser schooled, and even college graduates
5. Early on, reservists and National Guard participants who enjoyed playing soldier liked the extra pay for training duties and little inconvenience. Later the reality of actual combat or long periods of separation from family shed new light for some on these motivations.
6. Family history of military service and its traditions, in many cases chosen careers with numerous benefits that were seen to outweigh inconveniences
Patriotism – what is its impact and sustainability?
Each of the above are important factors that lend themselves to evaluation, however, the first is the main subject of my thoughts. Consider the diverse body of American youth from whom the combatants are drawn. They are a fair cross-section of our children aged between 18 years of age through the twenties. As the urgencies of military involvement grew it became necessary to broaden the enlistment pool to those up through their late thirties, along with overlooking some aspects of suitability.
As in other recent conflicts there is minimal interest on the part of the economically advantaged and best educated in the aforementioned motivations – with few exceptions including those such as Pat Tillman the Arizona Cardinal football player in the initial desire to get even for lives and property lost within our own boundaries.
What are the American values that reflexively motivate our changing ethnic and economically diverse population?
1. Families and neighborhoods that are our life experiences – generally rendering positive attitudes
2. Pride in our associations and memberships that run the gamut and in which we identify our basic freedoms
3. The inculcation of historic traditions through education and daily reminders.
4. Success in previous wars and pride in the military institutions
5. A general sense that our political institutions, while not being perfect, are demonstrably valid and correctable.
6. Traditions of team play and adherence to rules
Does it Matter?
Yes, there are significant cross currents that bear on the sustainability of our military capacity.
1. The wars, occupations, belligerent exposures, and terrorism in general will require that we continue to have a dedicated group of combatants.
2. The monitory cost of sustaining a presence in foreign territories implies that we will bear the burdens of a high level of trained, equipped, and motivated participants
3. The intangibles that motivate those who will carry the physical burden must be unshakable and dedicated to the national will. Are we willing to look them in the eye and tell them that we believe in what they are doing and are willing to pay the price that they expect as a quid pro quo?
4. The benefit programs as well as health maintenance implications are very large long-term obligations. Any wavering on the home front will transmit itself quickly overseas. Morale is a vague commodity. We haven’t tested our durability, or rather, we are beginning to test ours. Much like the Wall Street demonstrations that are gaining momentum there is real dissatisfaction with issues of fairness and competence that can shake and shape our future. The “Tea Party” movement is one manifestation; its trajectory while uncertain is being felt. Once these horses are hitched to a dedicated wagon, there is no telling where it will travel.
Our Revolutionary and Civil Wars were the products of large issues that were mismanaged by politicians. These things can happen. In more immediate terms, the undoing of the Soviet colossus while largely peaceful, the underlying forces at work were massive and based on deep dissatisfaction by the populace – and the military was an important element as it usually is in cases of severe disruption.
There is one parallel with our current malaise and that of the Russian, a failing economy translates itself most immediately into broader social turmoil. We aren’t there yet, but the unthinkable has happened.
Conclusions
1. We must shore up our financial/economic structure to broadly sustain our country. More on this later.
2. We must pick our battles much more carefully and avoid depleting our treasury for every international ill. America must come first. It is going to take great skill on the part of our primary leader to guide us forward. Do we have that kind of voice?
3. Stand by our troops and not waffle on commitments. A voluntary military is one that is dependent upon a strong contractual and implied bond. Why else would the answer to my first question be affirmative? People do not throw their lives and limbs away without good reason – or at least, not forever. Lessons are learned.
