Mandatory Military Service…

I’ve long thought that requiring a 2 or 3 year stint in the military branch of your choice would be an excellent way to instill discipline and educational opportunities for our countries’ young men & women.

I must confess that such an idea comes naturally to me - my father retired from the Navy, and I spent over a decade in the Marine Corps… so I have a very high regard for the opportunities that were afforded me by my service to my country.

By requiring all men & women, fresh out of High School, or College, to serve their country for a few years - we would have, as a country; a wide range of talent to help move our country forward, and yet, at the same time, provide discipline and education that many young people never receive in our educational system.

Of course, for those who object to military service, we should offer the Peace Corps, or similar organizations.  The cost to the U.S. would be small in comparison to the benefits such a plan would achieve.

Unfortunately, I’m pragmatic enough to know that freedom-loving Americans would never put up with such an ‘invasion’ into their freedom.  But it doesn’t stop me from dreaming about it.  Other countries have done quite well with mandatory military service.

If, however, you’re the parent of a young man or woman… military service (or other, such as the Peace Corps), is service to our country that your child will never forget, and will mold him/her in ways that they will live with for the rest of their lives.  My parents never forced my way… they simply prepared me to leave the ‘nest’ at age 18… I’m quite sure that they were proud that I chose a path similar to my father.

I recall reading a book about Marine Corps boot camp, where the author asserted that he’d not take a million dollars to go back through boot camp, nor would he take a million dollars to remove the memories he had of the military.  I can well understand such thoughts… the military was quite good to me - and has affected my life in ways too complex to describe easily.

If you are at a crossroads in your life, or if you have children who don’t know what to do after they leave school… military service can almost never be a bad idea to contemplate.