For a few weeks now I have thinking about the implications of a National Service Requirement for the United States. This is an issue that has been present, although quietly, in the Senate and Congress since the draft was completely abolished in 1973. I can't help but continue to think about the idea that the only difference between myself and a young man fighting for America in WWII is the year of our birth. The national service issue is particularly easy to dismiss as "anti-American" and not representative of our free government and it rightfully deserves further thought. At this point in American history I think it is a critical debate that deserves careful consideration and open debate from all those it affects, particularly the high school and college generation (16-25).
The last few generations experienced extraordinary changes in patriotism, commitment and support for the government. World War II saw young people eager to enlist in the national services while those back home bought war bonds, worked in factories and willingly helped the soldiers fighting in Europe and the Pacific. The Great Depression was in the rear view mirror and American faith was restored in the government. FDR was the only president to serve more than two terms and American spirit was high. American Patriotism was at a fever-pitch after the attack on Pearl Harbor and soon the entire nation had a vested interest in the outcome of the war. I would even go as far to say there was not a single citizen that remained unaffected emotionally and physically by the hideous struggle to preserve America's liberty. Less than twenty years later Americans fought in "the forgotten war" in Korea. There was not nearly as much support for this fight and the questioning of America's involvement became even stronger with the conflict in Vietnam during the 60's. In the span of twenty years patriotism and belief in the government fell dramatically over a cliff of questionable policies and intrusive behavior. Suddenly our national leaders were not who we thought they were. I partly blame this altered perception on new forms of media and the increased visibility and access to political leaders. The president was forced to become an actor for the nation 24 hours a day and we often became more ensconced with his personal life than the policies he supported. From the late 60's to the early 80's American patriotism was at an all time low. The Vietnam War destroyed our faith in government as a decision making body and the division of politicians on Civil Rights issues further stirred the hatred and resentment towards the American government. However, the beauty of our liberty is the ability to protest issues, voice your opinion and take action to support a cause. Thomas Jefferson said "from time to time the tree of liberty must be replenished with the blood of patriots and tyrants". Essentially American politicians and citizens must be kept in reasonable check by the voices of others.
While I think American patriotism since 9/11 is undoubtedly the greatest that any generation has seen since 1976, it is perplexing to observe the lack of involvement in critical issues and one must question the correlation between this lack of commitment and the struggling American economy. The only thing that the government demands of citizens is to pay taxes and vote. The draft was the last time the government really asked for a substantial physical and emotional commitment to the nation. During a difficult time pre-Vietnam JFK said "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". Patriotism is present sans the indebtedness of service to the nation. The last presidential election was the most important in recent history and only 56.8% of voting age citizens participated.
It is important to realize that national service is an issue that extends beyond military commitment. A national service commitment is something that could help our struggling public schools, escalating health care costs, public works projects, crime rate and military recruitment. All of these separate issues are intertwined into the struggling American economy and a continuous work force of young Americans would alleviate much of the stress on our government to pull rabbits out of hats and solve the country's issues with the twirl of a wand.
While there are many different ideas for a service system, there is one in particular that I think holds high promise.
It is called the National Service Baby Bond. Each time a child is born in the United States, the government will deposit a given amount of money, $5,000 or less, into a 529 savings fund. This is like a college fund that many of our parents have for our benefit. By estimates the fund would grow to $19,000 by the time the child turned 18. However, for the child to access this money they must commit at least one full year of service to the country. This service can be a variety of volunteer actions, from working in a public office, to teaching inner city children in a program like City Year, to enlistment in the armed forces. Not only will this program encourage young adults to give service to the country, it will also stimulate the economy by injecting a large amount of capital for investment in growing industries and companies. The program would be overseen by a newly formed branch of the Department of Commerce to ensure that the investments are managed properly. I realize that this plan is far from perfect, but I think it is a promising start to work off. Criticism of national service as communism are absurd and I think with an open mind and a little more research citizens can understand that part of our democracy and liberty is the principle that our personal debt to the nation can be alleviated through a national service program. I hope to see this argument gain strength in the coming years.
Take a look at this Time magazine page from 2007 on National Service discussing numerous points of view.
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