Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

Marines.

I know Slice and his fellow Marines will have a large formation, and cake will be served–cut with the commander’s sabre.

“No better friend, no worse enemy,” as Zarqawi and friends are finding out.

Think about this soldier next time you complain about that task.

Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, living in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt, fertilizer and some grass seeds so he can have the sweet aroma and feel the grass grow beneath his feet.

If you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don’t stop and think about the little things that we take for granted. Please say a prayer for our soldiers that give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.

Somewhere on the internet yesterday a pundit wondered how President Kerry would be able to continue the WoT considering how military folks view him. He intends to increase the size of the Army by two divisions, but the writer didn’t see that as within the realm of possiblility.

It is. What it would mean, though, is understrength divisions–divisions on paper. Or else he would have to activate the draft.

I didn’t see any need for a draft at all until I read that. I can see the point now, though. In 1992, we began a draw-down of the military. It was a benefit of the Peace Dividend–the implosion of the Warsaw Pact. Bush 41 and his Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, had a plan for demobilizing many units to better reflect what would be needed in the future, and putting the men and money where they could be used most effectively.

Then Bush lost to Clinton. The plan pretty much fell apart, not because of any change in it by Clinton, but because many military professionals decided the time had come to retire or separate. The personnel strength dropped dramatically. Clinton often stated that the government had shrunk under his leadership, yet every government department except DoD grew. The net decrease was the result of reductions in the military.

People in the military apparently feel the same today about John Kerry as we did about Bill Clinton. We didn’t particularly dislike Clinton, but he often spoke of his disdain for anyone in uniform, and folks didn’t want to work for a boss like that. Kerry’s status with the military is similar.

If elected, President Kerry will potentially drive many experienced people out simply by being their Commander-in-Chief. We could see, once again, an exodus. It would make it quite difficult for the Army to add two divisions.

And maybe that’s what Kerry already understands. Perhaps his harping on a draft at this time is preemptive. If he does need to bring it back, he can always blame Dubya for leaving him with an incomplete military.

Kerry seems to think the fear of a draft plays well with young men and women:

“With George Bush, the plan for Iraq is more of the same and the great potential of the draft.”

Dubya has been about as emphatic as he can be:

Bush has flatly ruled out reinstating the draft. “We’re not going to have a draft, period. The all-volunteer army works,” Bush said during last week’s debate in St. Louis.

Just on the face of it, I know which man has integrity, and which one says his mother told him integrity was important while she lay on her deathbed.

The real question people aged 18 to 26 should ask themselves is why would we ever have a draft again.

Let me give you a military answer: Never. Let me give you a political answer: If we get into a war with a major power and need to rapidly mobilize forces in the million-man range.

Military professionals have little use for draftees. They provide no continuity in the long run because they will leave at their first opportunity. (Some will stay when they find they actually like it.) In the short term they are a huge training burden and pull competent people from line jobs for that training. And they are often going to be attitude problems without a thought as to what the consequences of a dishonorable discharge really are. “You want to kick me out? Go for it!” Even those with minor attitude problems can cause significant disruptions in an organization.

So, we have the current Commander-in-Chief saying there is no way he will institute a draft. And we have Democrats in Congress (only two actually voted for it) attempting to start it back up. And we have the man who wants to be Commander-in-Chief, another Democrat, trying to convince voters that the President wants a draft, but he doesn’t.

Is this really a Neil Simon play?

Before the new Swift Boat Veterans ads come out, I’d like all of you to read a quick article on one of my personal heroes, George E. “Bud” Day.

That word “hero” is thrown around all too frequently these days, describing all kinds of people from celebrities to sports stars, it does us well to see what a real one looks like.