Shot In The Dark: The Regulars

November 26, 2004

The Regulars

Max Boot is one of our best current military historians. Yesterday's column (via Powerline) is his thanks for one of our most underappreciated institutions; the volunteer military.

The whole article is worth a read, but this section is important:

In their post-Vietnam agony, all the services had trouble attracting recruits, and those who signed up tended to come from the bottom of the barrel — half were not even high school graduates. Low morale, racial tensions and drug and alcohol abuse were rife in the 1970s.

By the 1991 Persian Gulf War, those problems had evaporated. Entry standards for volunteers were higher, the quality of recruits improved, and the first-rate military we know today was created — a military force that is better educated than the civilian population, whose enlisted ranks are composed of high school graduates and whose officers are college graduates (many with graduate degrees). A force in which drug use has fallen into insignificance and morale and discipline are sky-high. A dedicated, courageous, professional force capable of knocking the stuffing out of just about any foe, anywhere in the world, at a moment's notice.

Some antiwar protesters want to spread the idea that the military is composed of victims who have no alternative but to become cannon fodder. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in front-line combat units in which everyone is a volunteer twice over.

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Mitch at November 26, 2004 01:32 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Timely! I just received an E-Mail from my Ex. Why they would keep something like this Hush Hush, I don;t know.

Remember Tom, little Tommy. The one I raised from 11 months to 11 years old. Well, he just completed the crucible and graduates from boot camp on Dec 10th. My Son, the Marine!

Flash

Posted by: Flash at November 26, 2004 01:42 PM

Of course I remember Tommy! Please send my congratulations to him!

Posted by: mitch at November 26, 2004 01:48 PM

Todays military are not the same as the Vietnam era. It does not take long for the Olde Vet to recognize that today's warriors are smarter, better educated, better trained, better equipped and better led.

Vietnam was a continuation of the WWII "Shake and Bake" warm bodies for a hot war mentality. Our leaders were ticket punchers who were finishing up careers started in WWII or Korea. We were trained on tactics that worked in Europe and the Pacific. We were given some counter-insurgency training and shipped out. When we came home nobody cared and neither did we.

Today's military has the benefit of decades of examination, study, trial and testing. They have the latest technology that actually works in combat.

What America needs to do is begin thinking how we will change when these young people take charge of our corporations, politican and social institutions. Will they be content with the pace of change and mentality that favors bureaucracy over performance? Will they tolerate the glacial pace of evolution over the urgency of revolution in applying technology, training staff, expecting results? Will they long tolerate politics over merit?

The future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed. America's military makes us proud. They are our future and it looks like the kind of nation we wanted all along.

Posted by: Andy at November 26, 2004 02:12 PM

The info in the Regulars is so true-My son graduates infantry basic on the 14th of Dec. on to airborne school Jan 3rd-then Iraq or Afganistan. We are very proud of him ,& a side note -he is twice the man & 10 times more mature than his Vietnam era dad was at that age (maybe even now) The future is bright!He has ambition & morals I never had--his 20 yr old sister is of the same mold conservative ,moralistic,& patriotic!--Thank God! or is that bad to say? From a proud father with high hopes for the future.

Posted by: Mike at November 28, 2004 07:27 AM