Rhetorical Analysis: The Military Draft

The history and self-identity of the United States Marine Corps are based on operations in foreign environments. Since 1898, the United States military has been intervening in abroad. However, some of the US military interventions in other countries have been criticized, which include the Vietnam War. The Vietnam conflict is seen absolutely to have no sense politically, militarily, or economically, because “when a nation goes to war, it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause” (page 34). Therefore, the dispatching of the underage recruits to that war was to subdue them unduly to adversary-induced psychosomatic disorders.

Marchesini describes how Vietnam veterans are different from veterans who served in different wars. She claims that the veterans from Vietnam had it worse than any other veterans. Most of these men were traumatized leading them to have schizophrenia while other veterans adjusted well to their treatments. “Vietnam veterans were unlike the veterans of other conflicts because they had to deal with guilt over war experiences as well as rejection by their parents and society for having fought in an unpopular war ( pg 74).” Vietnam veterans were not welcomed back when they were sent back home.

“The active draft ended in 1973 and President Gerald Ford ended registration in 1975.” However, this did not last long because of the Soviet Union’s invasion into Afghanistan. The government protected the government policies by, “accepting of conscription by the courts and the acceptance of conscription among members of both political parties.” Having the government work together to protect the law and go by the Constitution, decreased the chances of passing other inaccurate laws such as the eligibility of men for the military and how men were registered for declared and undeclared war. “The scope of proclamations and executive orders rang based upon the period and in relation to the American public’s attitudes regarding conscription or empathy.”

In the essay, Mandatory Military Service in America, the author uses logic, emotion, and evidence to convince the reader that America should have mandatory service in the Military. Already in the first paragraph, we see the author using emotion. The author uses emotion when they claim that required military service will have “everyone serve in the armed forces will bring Americans together, despite our individual political views and personal agendas. " Clearly, the author intends to use emotions to convince the reader that we need to have required military service. In our country, we often feel divided.

How important were Drafts during the Vietnam War? During the Vietnam War drafts were a huge part of troops and their families lives. The draft was a way that we would make our troops bigger and better by forcing American men to fight in the war.. American men had to sign up for the draft at age 18. Men from the ages between 18 and 26 were the main chosen to go over to fight.

Many men affected by the draft created a booklet that gave advice on how to “avoid” being drafted. They were advised to act mad, claim to be homosexual. The draft had multiple loopholes, for instance, you could appeal/ be deferred from service the draft if you were married, in college. If a man was to reject his draft he was sentenced to prison as a sentencing to rejecting the governmental order.

From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.

In the New York Times article Death of a Marine, Bob Herbert discloses a story regarding a young man who participated in the Marines. Jeffrey Lucey of Massachusetts enlisted in the army instead of going to college. Despite his parents’ disapproval, he still joined. When Jeffery turned 22, his unit was one of the first to mobilize in the Iraq War. The damage that impacted Jeffery in Iraq included, explosions “just short of blowing out your eardrums”, damaged nerves, nightmare hallucinations and above all else, PTSD.

David McLean’s short story “Marine Corps Issue” includes a beautifully vivid scene of Sergeant Bowen, the narrator Johnny’s father, “sitting on the edge of our elevated garden, black ashes from a distant fire falling lightly like snow around him” (620). While this scene is powerful by itself, it can be appreciated even more by understanding the symbolism and allusions embedded in it, as well as the psychological state of the father as he sits “on the edge of the garden with his head down and his eyes closed as if in prayer” (634). This is why McLean’s readers should use literary criticism: it enhances their appreciation for the story’s impact. Prior to the climax, Johnny has spent weeks researching the Vietnam War. The location in which he

Not only did the downgraded military not solve the situation in Vietnam, but now there is a situation on the homefront where the freedoms of young men are questioned by society. Not only did the people have a distrust in the government, but they started to question their own futures. There has become a strange feeling among young college students in the time period that education has become unimportant and even irrelevant (Ward 1). If the military draft

Throughout history, countries are inevitably pulled into conflicts that result in war. These conflicts usually occur because of interests in: economic gain, territorial gain, religion, and nationalism. America, like every country, needs a military to defend itself, especially when tensions arise in other parts of the world and when militia numbers start to decrease. This then allows the government to draft its population to serve in the military. People argue that young men and women’s bright lives are often cut short, and not allowed their Constitutional right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, but there are many benefits for the nation and the individual by serving one’s country.

Understanding Veterans More than 50,000 americans died in Vietnam (Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics), but what for? In the 1950s and 1960s, the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. The country had split into North and South Vietnam where the North favored communism and the south democracy. The United States entered the war in hopes of protecting the democracy that South Vietnam was trying to create. In understanding the experiences of veterans it is important to follow the training the soldiers went through, the diseases they became at risk of, and how people treated them when they returned home.

During the time between 2000 and 2011 almost a million veterans were diagnosed with a minimum of one psychosocial disorder nearly half as many had multiple cases. The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs has annually spent millions of dollars on researching cures for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) without finding any new way for treatment to commence. The current method for treating this disorder is merely getting them to interact with other people; loved ones, or fellow soldiers are the most common. Many veterans are coming away from war with mental scars that require just as much attention as any physical wound and the United States needs to help stem the tide of this growing

My own father actually remembers trying to escape the draft when he states, “I and so many other people were trying to get away from getting drafted, some kids retreated to the universities, because if you were in school you couldn’t get drafted, some actually fled to Canada. I made sure my butt was in school so I wouldn’t be drafted, but unfortunately your uncle didn’t do so well in school and was drafted into the war (Gregory Smith). The Vietnam War was truly a war that brought together and tore apart a nation, while also changing and questioning America’s role in the world.

Though the draft only accounted for 1/3 the troops sent to Vietnam, it forced many young Americans to go to war, fight, kill, and even die for a cause that they didn’t believe in. Another reason that some Americans opposed the war was that they wanted the United States to leave Vietnam to itself. ; they didn’t want the U.S. to act as an international policeman, preventing and solving political conflicts across the globe. Thirdly, many Americans realized the toll that the war was costing America. They believed that the billions