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Military Draft During The Vietnam War

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Patriotism is an apparent characteristic throughout United States citizens. However, the United States may have taken that too far through the implementation of a military draft, or conscription, during the Vietnam War. The military draft, also known as conscription, was proven to not be an effective means of building up the military during the Vietnam War. The military draft is ineffective because it leads to unmotivated and inexperienced troops, unhappy citizens, and it costs more money. The United States made a costly error of fighting in the Vietnam War with the idea that more was better when in reality, tens of thousands of teenagers who did not support the war will not perform as well as an army of professionals. This lack of experience …show more content…

With many scared of the possibility of being drafted or their friends being drafted decided to take a stand, and these protests showed just how many Americans were opposed to the draft. The number of people who went to the extreme to protest was immense, as “more than 22,000 Americans were indicted for draft law violations between 1965 and 1975. Of this total, 8,756 were convicted of crimes, and 4,001 faced imprisonment” (Conscientious Objectors 1). Even with those who stayed lawful, thousands left to Canada or to Europe as a way to dodge the draft or to get out of a country going into immoral war (Ward 2). The draft clearly had a negative effect on the nation, and many lost trust. The overall confidence and mood of the country dipped. Those citizens that are against the military elitism of the United States and do not agree with the war feel alienated under a conscription system (“Conscription” 1). The fear that the government may force them or their friends and family to fight in a war they do not believe goes against the American morales that the country was previously proud of. An all-volunteer army fits with the nation’s principles of freedom, equality, and dignity, while a military draft does not (“An All-Volunteer Army” 2). If the United States had to carry out conscription as a means to fight the war, and conscription led to the nation openly protesting in the streets, the war was ineffective. 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

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