The war on terror is being fought by middle class troops who believe in what they are doing, but the military is being accused of deceiving the poor to enlist and die in an unjust war. What is going on here? The war in Iraq has become quite the political football, with those backing the effort, and those opposed, generally lined up according to ideological convictions. The left opposes the war, the right favors it. To support their position, leftist politicians have tried to frame the war in terms of class conflict. This is a durable leftist tool, surviving even the collapse of most communist governments in the late 1980s and early 90s.
The rhetoric gets pretty thick, and deceptive, at times. For example, many leftist politicians continue to push the line that the poor and non-white troops are suffering a disproportionate number of casualties. This is a belief based on faith, not facts, but it won’t go away. Another well publicized myth is that most of the troops are recruited from among the poor, while the more well off avoid service. Just the opposite is happening, with the military being staffed disproportionately by the middle class. It’s been that way for decades, because the military has high standards, which bars most of the recruits with poor educational achievements. This group tends to be poor economically as well. Those recruits that do come from the poor are the ones that got good grades and graduated. They are on their way to the middle class, whether they enlist or not.
I guess just because nobody they know enlists, they assume it must be the poor who fight and die. Clearly, their middle class and wealthy peers are not serving. Military duty must be foisted on the poor! If this is not the explanation, how could they excuse their failure to enlist and serve?
I don't understand how military service can be so alien to these people. Of my family, among the males, everybody served but nobody made a career of it. One of my grandfathers served in the Army in World War I. Another served on the Mexican border before the war when his National Guard unit was called up. My dad served in the Navy in World War II. Both of my brothers served in the Vietnam War--one in the Army and one in the Air Force (and he served in South Vietnam and Thailand).
Me? I just served in the Army National Guard. I came close to being sent for Desert Storm but for some reason, our planned deployment was cancelled. I don't know why, and I'm certainly relieved I did not have to disrupt my life to go. I only say this to show I claim no special military background. I skated. I was just a radio operator in the reserves and did all my service at home. My military service pales when compared to my family's. And despite this, my military service is probably more than most on the Left are familiar with. Who joins, they must think? Fools and the poor, of course.
Military service is something you just do. It's an obligation of citizenship. And I'm glad I took my turn in uniform. I almost didn't, joining when I was 26 years old. This doesn't give me special authority to pontificate on military matters. But for me, personally, it means that I did what I believe I owed my country. And I'm lucky I did not pay the ultimate price for that decision.
Oh, I'm neither poor nor disadvantaged. Just for the record.
