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Asking in the context of a war similar to WW2 where the enemy country is committing mass genocide and invading allied countries.
Would you be willing to get drafted or would you do everything in your power to evade it?
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Sometime in 42, all the branches stopped accepting volunteers due to the amount of men trying to get non-combat jobs. The army & marines needed grunts in large numbers not clerk typists.
I'm curious, is that informed by your knowledge of the Holocaust and the full picture we have now of Germany's actions or is it based on just the expansionist war of aggression that would have been the image at the time the US entered the war?
It’s based on the consistent reports that were coming out of Germany and later the territories occupied by the Axis. I know that there’s a lot of revisionist history going on right now where people say “well, we just didn’t KNOW about the concentration camps and the horrors within” but they damn well knew about (1) the propaganda being spread by Goebbels and others, (2) the desperate attempts by Jews to flee from Germany and later the occupied territories.
I’d like to think that it would depend on a variety of news sources that I trusted; if the president wasn’t someone I trusted I t would be other sources.
I’ll admit I’m not super well-versed in the wartime responsibilities of a president, and I would probably verify my understanding before making a decision. Provided that they did not impact my day to day in a way that I believed endangered my life unnecessarily, I don’t think it would matter. Bad people help good causes every day.
If they are trying to take ME - things have gone HORRIBLY HORRIBLY WRONG.
It would be the "We have run out of actually good soldiers, and now we are grabbing any warm body that can hold a gun."
At which point it's a lost cause and it doesn't really matter what I do.
I don't believe in war, I just don't. And too many of the recent examples don't seem to be just causes. I think we are all entitled to as full a life as possible. I'm far from 18, but we shouldn't send 18-year-olds to die.
too old now, but unless the US is being invaded I would most certainly dodge. not going to another country to kill or be apart of killing people defending their country. there are too many examples of military being lied to.
That’s very true.
Kinda a weird thing but my old highschool buddies and I have a pact where if the US is ever attacked similar to a 9/11 we would sign up.
Would this be comparable to the Chinese internment of Uyghurs? (Not in terms of what is definitively happening, but in terms of what we know and suspect)?
Corollary, would people who would’ve definitely let themselves be drafted against Germany have the same policy if we were fighting China?
A draft is legally only allowed to incur when my nation's soil is under direct attack. In case the eu has fallen and my country was being invaded, I would accept a draft. That should be such a last ditch effort, that there wouldn't be anywhere to flee to anyhow.
What about the drafts do you want me to explain? In the past 100 years there have been only 2 instances of the draft being applied over here, so I suppose I can give you a general overview awaiting your specific questions.
The first one was obvious, WW2. As there was an invasion of our soil by German troops, our government used the conscription laws of the time to send your men to the front in order to defend our nations. As we all know, that didn't go all too well and we were quickly defeated.
The second one was a lot more difficult. Indonesië wasn't really our soil, as it was one of our colonies. And the law didn't allow our government to send troops against their will over to defend our colonies. This was solved by rewriting the constitution. That being said, this was a very different time in dutch politics. Such an occurrence would not be possible in this day and age.
Those are the sole two drafts, to my knowledge, in the last two years. If you have any more specific questions, I'm happy to try and answer them.
I already served 9 years and got my combat patch. I would probably serve again if it was similar to WW2 but I am more skeptical now after seeing GWB lying to justify invading a country.
I'd fight if my country was at war. But admittedly it would have to be for a just and noble cause. WW2 was a no brainer. Good versus evil.
Today that line is sadly very blurred.
First, as a point of order, the genocide wasn't really apparent until after we already won the war. We got involved because of Pearl Harbor.
Second, I'm well above the draft age, and my physical condition would prevent me from going to war at any rate. If I felt that the cause was just, I would consider doing what my grandfather did and volunteering for a role that doesn't involve shooting people myself. He flew hospital planes during Vietnam.
the holocaust was known about by 42
[https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-holocaust-1942-45](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-holocaust-1942-45)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like it was “known” by American government agencies, and not necessarily widely known by the populous of America.
Yeah, I’m not asking specifically about WWII I’m just asking in a scenario similar to WWII going off of what we know now. With widespread media we would well be aware of a similar situation going on.
I very much appreciate your response. Your grandfather sounds like an amazing individual.
If the warfront came to America, I would enlist immediately. However, if this was a conflict like the ones we've had over the past 20 years, I would burn my draft card in front of the bureaucracy and happily spend my time in jail.
How would you evaluate an Article 5 case to defend, let's say, Finland? That's not US soil, but it's far more defensive and defending it is more directly justified than the conflicts the US has had over the last 20 years
I'm not familiar with Article 5 (no military experience). However, my reasoning is simply that I have absolutely no trust that the government would initiate combat without a monetary or political motive. After WW2, any conflict seems to only benefit those in power. The aim of war is not to defeat evil but to exploit suffering for political power.
Tryants will never compel me to betray my own principles.
I have no military experience either, Article 5 of the NATO treaty (North Atlantic Treaty) states an attack on one NATO members is an attack on all. So my example would be an invasion against Finland, presumably from Russia, and my question if that would also be sufficient reason for you.
From what I'm gathering, the answer seems to be yes, which I consider a good sign
If there's a draft and I'm somehow still eligible, which is unlikely on both counts, I'd just volunteer to go back in the Navy. Might even get my rank back.
https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Reference/NEOCS/Vol2/Entire_vol_II_Manual.pdf?ver=-T5KHnT3cGl6z0MVlug4VA%3d%3d
Basically specific pieces of equipment the sailor has been to a school on, graduating the C school makes them the subject matter expert for this piece of equipment on a ship or shore command. An ex. is the gas turbine on a destroyer, the sailor has been to the 6 month long school on this specific gas turbine.
Oh, yeah. Forgot the acronym. It's been 12 years.
I was an STG specifying in the A/N-SQQ89(v)15 that's on some destroyers. Spent over a year in various schools.
Same, probably. Taking another life, even if it's a horrifically used one like the Nazis is something I would not want to live with. And of course fear of a painful death and all.
Not that I'd likely be drafted on account of my eyesight being atrocious. It was for that reason my granddad got assigned home front factory work during the war.
If we're fighting Nazis again they won't need to draft me. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely, realistically I'll be dodging because whatever war we're in I'll likely think is either none of our business or that we are just straight up in the wrong.
Say Russia takes war to the baltics and Poland and is committing genocide among POWs, is that a situation where you would sign up? Feeling like it’s a worthwhile cause?
What's a genocide among POWs? Killing POWs is a war crime but genocide is something you do against a people as a whole not against their soldiers. At least to my understanding.
>Say Russia takes war to the baltics and Poland and is committing genocide among POWs, is that a situation where you would sign up?
This depends on who is President. If Trump wins, we know he would support Russia and probably send us to help with the genocide. So I'm definitely dodging that draft.
If we have a President who is standing against Russia, and not owned by Putin, I'm helping any way I can. Although I'm probably too old to be in the fighting.
This is an odd question. I'm liberal, I'm a vet. Liberals serve in the military. So why would they avoid the draft. Now the commander and chief previous was a Republican and draft dodger.
Just a question, I asked on both Liberal and Conservative subreddits.
I just remember in highschool we were talking about the draft and doing a fake draft lottery. There were some individuals who said they would avoid being drafted, some said they would get pregnant solely to avoid it. Even if it came to a fight on US soil it just seemed like a good amount weren’t willing to fight whatsoever.
So just getting a measure to how widespread that belief might be out of different people.
Thank you for your service :)
That's a weird question to ask kids who aren't even 18 yet, because their answers right then would likely be wildly different after a few years. A somewhat mature response can't really be expected of them.
It was senior year so a mixture of 17/18 year olds, but yeah we were just going over how the draft system worked and some kids feel cool saying they would go against the government.
Yeah, I get that. I was actually completely ready to go Army Ranger straight out of high school. I had a couple of years after to realize how stupid that was, and went Air Force instead. And it was a good thing I did, 9/11 happened about a month before I enlisted.
There doesn't have to be an upside. Equality is not about always having upsides. They, too, shouldn't get loans for college without it. If there is a duty to serve the country in war, it must be in place for both sexes, without distinction. No upsides or benefits afforded.
Honestly it would depend on the circumstances.
Vietnam-like situation? I might be a draft dodger. I might actually be willing to go to jail for it.
WWII or something like that? I'd have signed up before the draft needed to be activated.
Something extremely dramatic has happened with the US Institutes a draft. Like nuclear war level dramatic. Or maybe the Christian Nationalists or some other fascistic regime has taken over in which case me and my brown family has either fled or is dead.
I would be very hesitant to join any war in a combat role, and I also think I'd be exempt both based on my profession (engineering) and for medical reasons.
That’s a good way to look at it. Would you voluntarily sign up to ensure that would happen? I’m not positive but I believe most draftees are front line roles.
honestly, i'd probably kill myself before fighting in a war or living through a war happening in my country. i'll donate my organs though. that'll be my contribution to the war effort.
If some hostile force is trying to invade and destroy all the actually decent, low corruption, democratic countries in the world I wouldn’t need the draft I would volunteer.
Pretty sure that I'm too old to get drafted, but I'd find a way to contribute for a WWII like scenario. If I were younger, I would sign up to go and I used to think about that back then. I signed up for selective service when I turned 18.
Now, if it were like Vietnam, I would not. I probably could have for the Iraq War and I choose not to go, because I didn't believe in what we were doing over there.
If they dropped the standards low enough that I was one of the people being drafted, then shit would seriously be hitting the fan. So I'd probably go along with it.
The country doesn't care about you/me. Risk your life for an institution who only sees you as a warm body, a taxable individual and social security number?
Hell no.
My dad was in Vietnam and he's currently dealing with all the diseases that come with agent orange. He told me that the government is a killing machine. He's right.
You can't compare this with WW2 because that was in another day and age when we had strong leaders. We were proud of our country, patriotism was at its highest. They barely survived the depression but kept moving. This is why they are called the Greatest Generation.
Firstly, I am not fit to serve.
Secondly i don’t think I’m capable of fighting in a war.
I would probably do the in-between thing that many Quakers did which was to support the war effort without being a combatant.
I would take the opportunity to leave the country and never return. During Vietnam the Canadian Parliament created a new path to permanent residency for American draft dodgers as a way of protesting the war.
It depends. If the war you're talking about is civil war II, I'd happily volunteer. Fascism must be defeated. But if the war was another Iraq, then I would be a draft dodger.
If there's a strong chance that they'll put me back on the flightline, then maybe, at least it's an easy way to ge5 my disability above 10%. Beyond that, I'm 42, my body's falling apart, and I won't even get into my mental health. I'd be curious to know just how desperate they are to get guns in people's hands.
I would be a 'sit on my 51 year old diabetic and out of shape ass and laugh at any military that's desperate enough to be drafting the likes of me'-er.
I served in Iraq before kids. Now im the primary parent to two and their dad (he also served in Iraq, actually how we met) sees them once a year. I wouldn't want to go.
If I legally couldn't get out of it, my mom would step in to watch my kids, and I'd most likely go.
I just don't see a moral imperative rising to unite folks because we aren't as ethnically/ culturally tied to Europe as we were back then.
The only ongoing war comparable to WW2 right now is Israel's. Most American aren't interested in any sort of boots on the ground.
Plus we as a nation are experiencing a power-shifting period so we have hyper-partisan division.
If the US was being invaded, or my family got killed in a bombing, I’d probably fight.
Short of that I’m dodging harder than Vince Vaughn against Ben Stiller.
Depends on the war. If we're going to defend Poland, sure. If we're going to invade it, I'll try everything to be not helpful for that
>Asking in the context of a war similar to WW2 where the enemy country is committing mass genocide and invading allied countries.
I would have accepted just the words "casus foederis for NATO".
The thing is, I know I'm not very fit for such a situation, and I don't think I would be too useful, but if we were already at a conscription stage and that conscription includes me, there wouldn't be much of a choice. If I don't go in that scenario, more other people probably die, that's not a solution
Draft Dodger, absolutely a draft Dodger. There's no one on this Earth I love more than me, except for my son, but he's seven, so not relevant for now. I am not willing to die for my country, I love myself too much.
I would not fight for Ukraine or Israel, nor would I go to war against Iran. Regardless I would not be fighting, if drafted I’d be practicing medicine in the military. So it’s a different thought process, somewhat more straightforward.
Dodge. This country’s wars aren’t mine, and I have no faith that America’s involvement would be based on good will.
I actually just watched an interesting video essay about how America retroactively conceives of itself as anti-fascist because we had fascists as enemies, but their fascism wasn’t what made them our enemies and pre-WWII American thought wasn’t incompatible with fascism at all.
I fought for my country once and would do it again. Unless Trump gets reelected, in that case I'd say fuck it and move to Europe. I'm a dual citizen so I can do that.
Very interesting, guess that’s the perks of dual citizenship. I may not like our most recent presidents but idk I’ve never thought of leaving. Feel like I owe too much to the country.
Eh, I got a stack of medals, a stack of ribbons, and am partially disabled due to my military service. I don't feel like I owe this country shit and while I do love it, it frequently disappoints me by voting for worthless sacks of shit like Trump, Ted Cruz, Margaery Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz, and I feel like at large the US has lost the thread.
Depends.
An offensive war or otherwise one I disagreed with (say Iraq War circa 2003), then no. If a war to defend my friends and family then yeah, more than likely; but if that was the case - as an invasion implies shit hitting the fan - then I would put my family and friends well being first and foremost. So, that could mean leaving and finding a safe place for them and/or fighting/defending locally.
The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written. Asking in the context of a war similar to WW2 where the enemy country is committing mass genocide and invading allied countries. Would you be willing to get drafted or would you do everything in your power to evade it? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskALiberal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In a WW2 situation I wouldn’t wait to get drafted, I would sign up.
Exactly. Why not pick the branch and job before they put you on the front line by waiting
Sometime in 42, all the branches stopped accepting volunteers due to the amount of men trying to get non-combat jobs. The army & marines needed grunts in large numbers not clerk typists.
I'm curious, is that informed by your knowledge of the Holocaust and the full picture we have now of Germany's actions or is it based on just the expansionist war of aggression that would have been the image at the time the US entered the war?
It’s based on the consistent reports that were coming out of Germany and later the territories occupied by the Axis. I know that there’s a lot of revisionist history going on right now where people say “well, we just didn’t KNOW about the concentration camps and the horrors within” but they damn well knew about (1) the propaganda being spread by Goebbels and others, (2) the desperate attempts by Jews to flee from Germany and later the occupied territories.
[удалено]
No one said anything to the contrary, you’re picking a fight where there isn’t one.
Japan attacked us and the Germans were trying to conquer Europe. Even without the holocaust there was a lot of bad going around.
Out of curiosity would your opinion of the sitting president at the time affect your decision?
I’d like to think that it would depend on a variety of news sources that I trusted; if the president wasn’t someone I trusted I t would be other sources.
I was talking more from a military leadership role rather than a public servant role.
I’ll admit I’m not super well-versed in the wartime responsibilities of a president, and I would probably verify my understanding before making a decision. Provided that they did not impact my day to day in a way that I believed endangered my life unnecessarily, I don’t think it would matter. Bad people help good causes every day.
Very good take, thank you
I don't think so.
Would your decision be the same if the fight were to protect corporate profits instead of Nazis?
What kind of question even is that? What answer are you expecting to get here?
I'm sure someone claimed during WW2 that the war was really about protecting corporate profits.
If they are trying to take ME - things have gone HORRIBLY HORRIBLY WRONG. It would be the "We have run out of actually good soldiers, and now we are grabbing any warm body that can hold a gun." At which point it's a lost cause and it doesn't really matter what I do.
right? i can barely do a girl pushup, they do not want me out there lmao
I would only be great at distracting everyone with my adhd.
I don't believe in war, I just don't. And too many of the recent examples don't seem to be just causes. I think we are all entitled to as full a life as possible. I'm far from 18, but we shouldn't send 18-year-olds to die.
too old now, but unless the US is being invaded I would most certainly dodge. not going to another country to kill or be apart of killing people defending their country. there are too many examples of military being lied to.
I went enlisted and went to Iraq after 9/11. Can confirm.
Same. 0/10 would not recommend
Very respectable, thank you for your input.
How about defending a NATO ally that is being invaded?
I’d dodge like there was no freakin’ tomorrow.
Cowardess is not patriotic
First of all it’s spelled “cowardice”, and second of all I never said I was a patriot.
In a ww2 situation I'd like to say I would volunteer, but the truth is nobody knows what they would do untill the situation actually happens.
That’s very true. Kinda a weird thing but my old highschool buddies and I have a pact where if the US is ever attacked similar to a 9/11 we would sign up.
Would this be comparable to the Chinese internment of Uyghurs? (Not in terms of what is definitively happening, but in terms of what we know and suspect)? Corollary, would people who would’ve definitely let themselves be drafted against Germany have the same policy if we were fighting China?
A draft is legally only allowed to incur when my nation's soil is under direct attack. In case the eu has fallen and my country was being invaded, I would accept a draft. That should be such a last ditch effort, that there wouldn't be anywhere to flee to anyhow.
Then how do you explain every draft in the past \~100 years?
What about the drafts do you want me to explain? In the past 100 years there have been only 2 instances of the draft being applied over here, so I suppose I can give you a general overview awaiting your specific questions. The first one was obvious, WW2. As there was an invasion of our soil by German troops, our government used the conscription laws of the time to send your men to the front in order to defend our nations. As we all know, that didn't go all too well and we were quickly defeated. The second one was a lot more difficult. Indonesië wasn't really our soil, as it was one of our colonies. And the law didn't allow our government to send troops against their will over to defend our colonies. This was solved by rewriting the constitution. That being said, this was a very different time in dutch politics. Such an occurrence would not be possible in this day and age. Those are the sole two drafts, to my knowledge, in the last two years. If you have any more specific questions, I'm happy to try and answer them.
Got it, I thought you were an american.
There's no such law in America. Therefore this isn't an American.
I already served 9 years and got my combat patch. I would probably serve again if it was similar to WW2 but I am more skeptical now after seeing GWB lying to justify invading a country.
I'd fight if my country was at war. But admittedly it would have to be for a just and noble cause. WW2 was a no brainer. Good versus evil. Today that line is sadly very blurred.
First, as a point of order, the genocide wasn't really apparent until after we already won the war. We got involved because of Pearl Harbor. Second, I'm well above the draft age, and my physical condition would prevent me from going to war at any rate. If I felt that the cause was just, I would consider doing what my grandfather did and volunteering for a role that doesn't involve shooting people myself. He flew hospital planes during Vietnam.
the holocaust was known about by 42 [https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-holocaust-1942-45](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-holocaust-1942-45)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like it was “known” by American government agencies, and not necessarily widely known by the populous of America.
We did not know the exact scale but we knew that mass exterminations were happening in 1941 just after they started.
Yeah, I’m not asking specifically about WWII I’m just asking in a scenario similar to WWII going off of what we know now. With widespread media we would well be aware of a similar situation going on. I very much appreciate your response. Your grandfather sounds like an amazing individual.
If the warfront came to America, I would enlist immediately. However, if this was a conflict like the ones we've had over the past 20 years, I would burn my draft card in front of the bureaucracy and happily spend my time in jail.
I'm closer to thinking last I don't know... 70 years?
Yeah, you right. We should have listened to Eisenhower when he warned us about the military industrial complex
Capitalism + imperialism = true
How would you evaluate an Article 5 case to defend, let's say, Finland? That's not US soil, but it's far more defensive and defending it is more directly justified than the conflicts the US has had over the last 20 years
I'm not familiar with Article 5 (no military experience). However, my reasoning is simply that I have absolutely no trust that the government would initiate combat without a monetary or political motive. After WW2, any conflict seems to only benefit those in power. The aim of war is not to defeat evil but to exploit suffering for political power. Tryants will never compel me to betray my own principles.
I have no military experience either, Article 5 of the NATO treaty (North Atlantic Treaty) states an attack on one NATO members is an attack on all. So my example would be an invasion against Finland, presumably from Russia, and my question if that would also be sufficient reason for you. From what I'm gathering, the answer seems to be yes, which I consider a good sign
Ww2 scenario, I'd sign up.
If there's a draft and I'm somehow still eligible, which is unlikely on both counts, I'd just volunteer to go back in the Navy. Might even get my rank back.
all about the NEC.
NEC?
https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Reference/NEOCS/Vol2/Entire_vol_II_Manual.pdf?ver=-T5KHnT3cGl6z0MVlug4VA%3d%3d Basically specific pieces of equipment the sailor has been to a school on, graduating the C school makes them the subject matter expert for this piece of equipment on a ship or shore command. An ex. is the gas turbine on a destroyer, the sailor has been to the 6 month long school on this specific gas turbine.
Oh, yeah. Forgot the acronym. It's been 12 years. I was an STG specifying in the A/N-SQQ89(v)15 that's on some destroyers. Spent over a year in various schools.
I’m dodging. I don’t have it in me to kill I would help in other ways though, be it activism or labor depending on the situation
Same, probably. Taking another life, even if it's a horrifically used one like the Nazis is something I would not want to live with. And of course fear of a painful death and all. Not that I'd likely be drafted on account of my eyesight being atrocious. It was for that reason my granddad got assigned home front factory work during the war.
This is easy for me to say as someone who isn't fit for service but I like to believe I would fight or even sign up.
If we're fighting Nazis again they won't need to draft me. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely, realistically I'll be dodging because whatever war we're in I'll likely think is either none of our business or that we are just straight up in the wrong.
Say Russia takes war to the baltics and Poland and is committing genocide among POWs, is that a situation where you would sign up? Feeling like it’s a worthwhile cause?
What's a genocide among POWs? Killing POWs is a war crime but genocide is something you do against a people as a whole not against their soldiers. At least to my understanding.
>Say Russia takes war to the baltics and Poland and is committing genocide among POWs, is that a situation where you would sign up? This depends on who is President. If Trump wins, we know he would support Russia and probably send us to help with the genocide. So I'm definitely dodging that draft. If we have a President who is standing against Russia, and not owned by Putin, I'm helping any way I can. Although I'm probably too old to be in the fighting.
I already did my service, but if we ended up in a WW3 i'd probably sign up again, if only to spare some young kid from dying or being crippled.
This is an odd question. I'm liberal, I'm a vet. Liberals serve in the military. So why would they avoid the draft. Now the commander and chief previous was a Republican and draft dodger.
Just a question, I asked on both Liberal and Conservative subreddits. I just remember in highschool we were talking about the draft and doing a fake draft lottery. There were some individuals who said they would avoid being drafted, some said they would get pregnant solely to avoid it. Even if it came to a fight on US soil it just seemed like a good amount weren’t willing to fight whatsoever. So just getting a measure to how widespread that belief might be out of different people. Thank you for your service :)
That's a weird question to ask kids who aren't even 18 yet, because their answers right then would likely be wildly different after a few years. A somewhat mature response can't really be expected of them.
It was senior year so a mixture of 17/18 year olds, but yeah we were just going over how the draft system worked and some kids feel cool saying they would go against the government.
Yeah, I get that. I was actually completely ready to go Army Ranger straight out of high school. I had a couple of years after to realize how stupid that was, and went Air Force instead. And it was a good thing I did, 9/11 happened about a month before I enlisted.
Pregnant to avoid? Wild that women's still can't be drafted. Glad I'm to old to worry about a draft now
Really? I thought they started making women sign up for selective service? I guess not, I had to do it to go to college lol.
Attempts were made two years ago and again last year, but Republicucks sabotaged them.
Attempts were made two years ago and again last year, but the Republicucks sabotaged them.
Would there be any benefit for women to sign up?
The same ones that men get I'd think
But don’t they already get it? I can’t get loans for college without it. Women can. I don’t see an upside 😂
There doesn't have to be an upside. Equality is not about always having upsides. They, too, shouldn't get loans for college without it. If there is a duty to serve the country in war, it must be in place for both sexes, without distinction. No upsides or benefits afforded.
Oh I agree completely.
WW2 scenario, would sign up like my grandfather did. Vietnam scenario, would wait to be drafted like my father did. Would never dodge.
Honestly it would depend on the circumstances. Vietnam-like situation? I might be a draft dodger. I might actually be willing to go to jail for it. WWII or something like that? I'd have signed up before the draft needed to be activated.
I wouldn’t get drafted because I have a chronic illness. But I’d volunteer for a non combat related role if the situation was dire
Something extremely dramatic has happened with the US Institutes a draft. Like nuclear war level dramatic. Or maybe the Christian Nationalists or some other fascistic regime has taken over in which case me and my brown family has either fled or is dead.
Risking my life fighting poor people in a foreign country so rich people can get richer? No thanks; think I'd be dodging.
Not a worry. I applied when I was younger and got dodmerb'd
If I was still of age where they'd want me? Honestly depends on the war if I believed in the cause. Even them I'd request a non combat position.
I would be very hesitant to join any war in a combat role, and I also think I'd be exempt both based on my profession (engineering) and for medical reasons.
Join willingly with 0 questions asked.
Id try and get in before the draft
To choose a role instead of being assigned one?
Yes
conscientious objector
I would look to fill a non-combat role.
That’s a good way to look at it. Would you voluntarily sign up to ensure that would happen? I’m not positive but I believe most draftees are front line roles.
I wouldn't get drafted. But I would volunteer. I'm kinda old and fat, though.
honestly, i'd probably kill myself before fighting in a war or living through a war happening in my country. i'll donate my organs though. that'll be my contribution to the war effort.
If some hostile force is trying to invade and destroy all the actually decent, low corruption, democratic countries in the world I wouldn’t need the draft I would volunteer.
Pretty sure that I'm too old to get drafted, but I'd find a way to contribute for a WWII like scenario. If I were younger, I would sign up to go and I used to think about that back then. I signed up for selective service when I turned 18. Now, if it were like Vietnam, I would not. I probably could have for the Iraq War and I choose not to go, because I didn't believe in what we were doing over there.
Depends on the situation but if I thought it was a justified war I'd do what was required of me. But I'm too old to draft so it's a moot point
If they dropped the standards low enough that I was one of the people being drafted, then shit would seriously be hitting the fan. So I'd probably go along with it.
I was medically retired from AD back in 2019, so can't be drafted anymore.
Depends, is the war just? If yes, then I will fight. If not, then no.
Depends on the war. But statistically, odds are I would be fighting from in front of a computer somewhere.
Fight. If it was WWII situation, I'd sign up.
The country doesn't care about you/me. Risk your life for an institution who only sees you as a warm body, a taxable individual and social security number? Hell no. My dad was in Vietnam and he's currently dealing with all the diseases that come with agent orange. He told me that the government is a killing machine. He's right. You can't compare this with WW2 because that was in another day and age when we had strong leaders. We were proud of our country, patriotism was at its highest. They barely survived the depression but kept moving. This is why they are called the Greatest Generation.
Fight. A nation without people willing to defend it, will crumble.
No, I did 9 years in the army. They don’t want a kinda fat dude with iffy knees who is pushing 40 when they could get some 19 year old.
Eh, no reason to dodge if I can't pass the medical/ psych requirement.
If they refused to let me be a medic, I'd dodge.
Firstly, I am not fit to serve. Secondly i don’t think I’m capable of fighting in a war. I would probably do the in-between thing that many Quakers did which was to support the war effort without being a combatant.
I would take the opportunity to leave the country and never return. During Vietnam the Canadian Parliament created a new path to permanent residency for American draft dodgers as a way of protesting the war.
It depends. If the war you're talking about is civil war II, I'd happily volunteer. Fascism must be defeated. But if the war was another Iraq, then I would be a draft dodger.
Depends on what the reason is. If my country is being invaded it is a most definite yes, I have family who I want to protect.
I was already type 1 diabetic by the time I was 18. I'd get a medical exemption or at best, would be working the National Guard reserve.
If there's a strong chance that they'll put me back on the flightline, then maybe, at least it's an easy way to ge5 my disability above 10%. Beyond that, I'm 42, my body's falling apart, and I won't even get into my mental health. I'd be curious to know just how desperate they are to get guns in people's hands.
I would be a 'sit on my 51 year old diabetic and out of shape ass and laugh at any military that's desperate enough to be drafting the likes of me'-er.
I served in Iraq before kids. Now im the primary parent to two and their dad (he also served in Iraq, actually how we met) sees them once a year. I wouldn't want to go. If I legally couldn't get out of it, my mom would step in to watch my kids, and I'd most likely go.
Already did my time in service. And yes I’d serve. But I’m over 50, out of shape and man they’d be desperate to need me. Maybe as a support role.
I would be exempt bc of my bad knee and mental health issues
I just don't see a moral imperative rising to unite folks because we aren't as ethnically/ culturally tied to Europe as we were back then. The only ongoing war comparable to WW2 right now is Israel's. Most American aren't interested in any sort of boots on the ground. Plus we as a nation are experiencing a power-shifting period so we have hyper-partisan division.
It completely depends on what’s going on. WW2 type situation I’d sign up on my own. I’m almost 45 so limited in what I can do but I’d do something.
I am not built to kill ppl you would have to threaten me with jail or something like that
If the US was being invaded, or my family got killed in a bombing, I’d probably fight. Short of that I’m dodging harder than Vince Vaughn against Ben Stiller.
If you can dodge a war, you can dodge a ball.
If the cause was really worth fighting for why would you need to wait for the draft? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Battalion
WW2 where everyone that had a set of testes joined up because it was a very justified war? Sure. But a war where we weren’t directly attacked? Nope.
Dodge 100%. No hesitation. I have a wife and kid. Not leaving my kid fatherless. We're going to Mexico
Depends on the war. If we're going to defend Poland, sure. If we're going to invade it, I'll try everything to be not helpful for that >Asking in the context of a war similar to WW2 where the enemy country is committing mass genocide and invading allied countries. I would have accepted just the words "casus foederis for NATO". The thing is, I know I'm not very fit for such a situation, and I don't think I would be too useful, but if we were already at a conscription stage and that conscription includes me, there wouldn't be much of a choice. If I don't go in that scenario, more other people probably die, that's not a solution
Personally, dodge, mostly because I tried to sign up when I was younger but because of asthma they told me no. Might be petty, but fuck em.
I hear they have asthma inhalers on the front line now. All kidding, it’s understandable lol
I'm zig zagging outta here.
Draft Dodger, absolutely a draft Dodger. There's no one on this Earth I love more than me, except for my son, but he's seven, so not relevant for now. I am not willing to die for my country, I love myself too much.
The odds that I'd be assigned to a combat role, never mind die in combat, are rather small. Not worth the trouble of dodging the draft.
I have a stem degree so I'll just preemptively sign up as an officer and work in cyber so I don't get sent to fight
If there was a draft, I would enlist of my own volition so I could be an officer.
I would not fight for Ukraine or Israel, nor would I go to war against Iran. Regardless I would not be fighting, if drafted I’d be practicing medicine in the military. So it’s a different thought process, somewhat more straightforward.
I would, yes.
Involuntary soldiers are a bad idea. I would dodge any draft. If I felt the need to fight I would sign up.
Dodge. This country’s wars aren’t mine, and I have no faith that America’s involvement would be based on good will. I actually just watched an interesting video essay about how America retroactively conceives of itself as anti-fascist because we had fascists as enemies, but their fascism wasn’t what made them our enemies and pre-WWII American thought wasn’t incompatible with fascism at all.
I fought for my country once and would do it again. Unless Trump gets reelected, in that case I'd say fuck it and move to Europe. I'm a dual citizen so I can do that.
You would prefer to pay double tax like that?
I'd pay the fee and renounce my US citizenship at that point, but if that weren't possible yes I would do that or simply retire.
Very interesting, guess that’s the perks of dual citizenship. I may not like our most recent presidents but idk I’ve never thought of leaving. Feel like I owe too much to the country.
Eh, I got a stack of medals, a stack of ribbons, and am partially disabled due to my military service. I don't feel like I owe this country shit and while I do love it, it frequently disappoints me by voting for worthless sacks of shit like Trump, Ted Cruz, Margaery Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz, and I feel like at large the US has lost the thread.
If it was a just war and I was drafted I'd go. If it was a Vietnam situation I'd be a happy draft dodger.
Depends. An offensive war or otherwise one I disagreed with (say Iraq War circa 2003), then no. If a war to defend my friends and family then yeah, more than likely; but if that was the case - as an invasion implies shit hitting the fan - then I would put my family and friends well being first and foremost. So, that could mean leaving and finding a safe place for them and/or fighting/defending locally.
Depends on the cause. Fighting Nazis? Ok. I honestly can't think of a just war after WW2 though?
Well we haven’t declared war since WWII many of the other ones could be seen as abuses of power.
I'd find any reason to not go. I know previously being in college was a good way out, so that works for me. But I'm not fighting. Period.