Nation's Elite AWOL From Military

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,102491,00.html

Joe Galloway | June 23, 2006
A new book expands on a familiar subject: the absence of America's elite and its governing class -- and their children -- from the ranks of our nation's military.

The book is "AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country." Its authors, Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer, didn't embrace the military ethos so much as it embraced them. snip

As recently as 1956, 400 members of Princeton's graduating class went on to serve in the military. In 2004, nine graduates did so. Harvard, Yale, Brown and other elite universities don't even allow Reserve Officer Training Courses on their campuses.

In the years after World War II, virtually every member of Congress was a veteran of military service. By 1971, three-quarters of the members had worn the uniform. Today, only a third of the 535 members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have served.

During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had sons serving in uniform. Today's political leaders and the rest of the country's elite don't feel the same obligation to send their children to serve in harm's way.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. Doug Adams' SEP

fighting, enlisting, service - Someone Else's Problem.

[Canuckistanian]

2. In Medieval times, kings used to LEAD armies.

If you called yourself a leader in those days, you had to prove it on the battlefield.

[madokie]

3. we would really be fucked if this crew were actually leading the charge in

person but then again we would get rid of them pretty quick, so in that vein, Hey George get out here in front we need a real leader. show us first hand how it is done

[Canuckistanian]

4. Seems to be fucked even without him

Even his surrogates don't seem to be up for the job.

I've yet to see General Casey on point duty during an Al Qaeda sweep.

[w4rma]

5. He fires or uses up all his best men.

And then they become Democrats, if they weren't already.

[SoCalDem]

6. Not just the "elite"..A draft ensured that all kinds of men/boys

would serve...the bookish ones, the artists..the musicians.....not JUST the gung ho kill-em-all types..

Lots of the people we have now in the "volunteer" military are poor, under-educated kids who can't find meaningful work, and police academy washouts who just want to shoot guns and wreak havoc, while they gain kills to use later as "rent-a-soldiers who make the big bucks..

You need the broad spectrum to make a military a "human and humane" force in addition to being a military force.

[Quantess]

7. Yeah, why should they?

Bush & Cheney had better things to do, and so do the Young Republicans. Can't you see they're busy being deciders?:sarcasm:

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. How many republicans served?

Republicans

Spencer Abraham: Did not serve
Eliot Abrams: Did not serve
Richard Armitage: Navy, three tours in Vietnam
John Ashcroft: Did not serve
Roy Blunt: Did not serve
Michael Bloomberg: Did not serve
George W. Bush: Dodged the draft through the National Guard. Refused to attend most of his required drills the last two years. Refused to take his flight physical in 72 and 73.
Jeb Bush: Did not serve
Saxby Chambliss: Did not serve. Dodged the draft yet attacked the patriotism of Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in Vietnam
Dick Cheney: Did not serve
Christopher Cox: Did not serve
Tom DeLay: Did not serve
John Engler: Did not serve
Douglas Feith: Did not serve
Bill Frist: Did not serve
Newt Gingrich: Did not serve
Rudy Giuliani: Did not serve
Lindsey Graham: Avoided the draft through the National Guard
Phil Gramm: Did not serve
Dennis Hastert: Did not serve
Tim Hutchison: Did not serve
Jack Kemp: Did not serve. "Knee problem," yet continued to play NFL football
Jon Kyl: Did not serve
Trent Lott: Did not serve
John McCain: POW in Vietnam, Legion of Merit, Silver star, DFC, many more
Mitch McConnell: Did not serve
John McHugh: Did not serve
George Pataki: Did not serve
Richard Perle: Did not serve
Colin Powell: 35 years in Army, 4-star general
Dan Quayle: Avoided the draft through the National Guard
Dana Rohrabacher: Did not serve
Karl Rove: Did not serve
Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor
Rick Santorum: Did not serve
Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base
Richard Shelby: Did not serve
JC Watts: Did not serve
Vin Weber: Did not serve
Paul Wolfowitz: Did not serve
Andy Card – no service
Condi Rice – no service
John Bolton – no service
Don Nichols – no service
David Dreier - no service



Pundits, Preachers, and Judges

Bill Bennett: Did not serve
Wolf Blitzer: Did not serve
Pat Buchanan: Did not serve
Charlie Daniels: Did not serve
Lou Dobbs: Did not serve
Paul Gigot: Did not serve
Sean Hannity: Did not serve
Bill Kristol: Did not serve
Rush Limbaugh: Did not serve
Chris Matthews: Did not serve
Michael Medved: Did not serve
Ted Nugent: Did not serve
Bill O'Reilly: Did not serve
Dan Rather: Army Reserves
Ralph Reed: Did not serve
Michael Savage: Did not serve
Antonin Scalia: Did not serve
Kenneth Starr: Did not serve
Clarence Thomas: Did not serve
George Will: Did not serve
Roger Ailes (Fox) – Did not serve
Anne Coulter – Did not serve
Fred Barnes – Did not serve
Gary Bauer – Did not serve
Neil Bortz – Did not serve
Tony Snow - Did not serve
Pat Robertson - US Army
Jerry Falwell - Did not serve

How many Democrats served?


David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, etc
Jimmy Carter: Lt. Commander in the Navy 1946-53
Wesley Clark: Army 1966-2000, Vietnam, Silver star, purple heart
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver/Bronze stars, Vietnam
Bill Clinton: Did not serve (opposed war)
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze star
Michael Dukakis: Army 1955-57
John Edwards: Did not serve
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs; Air Medal w/18 Clusters
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam as journalist
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74
Howell Heflin: Silver star WWII
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze star
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver/Bronze stars, purple hearts
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII
Jim McDermott: Navy 1968-70
George McGovern: Silver star & DFC during WWII
Zell Miller: Marine Corps, 1953-56
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-53
John Murtha: Retired US Marine officer and decorated Vietnam War combat veteran
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver star, etc
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze star, Korea
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-79; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91
Chuck Robb: U.S. Marine Corps, 1961-70, Vietnam
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Mike Thompson: Staff Sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart
John Conyers – US Army