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The Death of the 'Old Army Buddy'

Draft's end means a generation sans sense of service, camaraderie

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted May 24, 2009 11:23 AM CDT
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(Newser) – On Memorial Day, former soldiers of all ages will be touching base with their brothers in arms, but as Michael Auslin writes in the Washington Post, real Old Army Buddies are on the verge of extinction. The men who willingly served during the drafts of the '50s and '60s came home with rich experiences and lifelong bonds that soldiers don't get today.

Auslin's father "belongs to the last full generation of Americans forced to serve their country, to work and live with others radically different from themselves," he writes. "Unlike our fathers, we are not called to give even a small portion of our lives to the defense of our country," and while the results aren't yet in, "It is unclear whether a large, diverse society can survive indefinitely without that sense of service to the nation and that experience in social bonding."

circa 1955: Three young men in military uniforms escort a laughing young woman away from the Penny Arcade in an amusement park, 1950s.
circa 1955: Three young men in military uniforms escort a laughing young woman away from the Penny Arcade in an amusement park, 1950s.   (Getty Images)
Former American General and Republican Party candidate for President, Dwight Eisenhower, wearing his American Legion cap during a legion march down Fifth Avenue in New York in 1952.
Former American General and Republican Party candidate for President, Dwight Eisenhower, wearing his American Legion cap during a legion march down Fifth Avenue in New York in 1952.   (Getty Images)
Circa 1955, a US army sergeant Robert L Grubb crouches outdoors with a rifle in his hands during ranger training, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Circa 1955, a US army sergeant Robert L Grubb crouches outdoors with a rifle in his hands during ranger training, Fort Benning, Georgia.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
Robert_Dada
May 25, 2009 12:03 PM CDT
Bring back the draft and make it compulsory for both men and women. That may make the idiotic republicans who never served a day in their life think twice about starting unnecessary wars knowing their precious offspring will now have to share the burden with everyone else.
Robert_Dada
May 25, 2009 10:08 AM CDT
I don't disagree. However, we have people in power (in both parties) who don't have to ante up the bodies of their loved ones for useless wars justified through lies. There's no disincentive for them to truly think through their actions as well as their 'patriotic' supporters who think 'supporting the troops' means simply putting a stupid ribbon shaped sticker on their SUV while they take their kids to soccer practice.
lonewolf17
May 25, 2009 5:39 AM CDT
Bringing back the draft would be the worst thing the US could do for their military strength. Has previous wars has taught us, draftees just aren't that good soldiers. That's why after Vietnam, they restructured the entire military so that it would be small, lean, volunteer and professional rather than large, inexperianced, ineffectual and clumsy.

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