Should the U.S. bring back the draft? Two Congressmen, both veterans, on whether a volunteer military or conscription makes more sense.

• Author: Rangel, Charles B.
• Position: DEBATE

YES In 2002, I called for national service and a renewal of the military draft as a way to ensure that the burden of war was fairly shared. Five disastrous years of war in Iraq has not softened my stance.

Joining the military is a patriotic call to service. Yet far too many of those who enlist today do so because their economic situation provides few opportunities for achievement in civilian life.

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Under my proposal, all young men and women would be eligible for the draft. There would be no deferments beyond completion of high school, except for reasons of health or conscience. Those not needed in the military would be obliged to contribute domestically, in hospitals or schools, for example.

Those who believe that our military effectiveness would suffer need only to remember the millions of draftees who rescued the world from despotism in World War II. In fact, the argument that volunteers make better soldiers is not one that I have heard from veterans of combat.

Despite lucrative signing bonuses, military recruiters have been unable to prevent our military forces from becoming vastly overstretched. Reservists who never expected to be on the front lines are finding themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan. In some cases, soldiers are being redeployed three or four times.

Reinstating the draft would spread the burden of sacrifice across all of American society. It would also add gravity to future discussions about war. Presidents and politicians are likely to weigh these decisions more carefully when the child they put in harm's way may be their own.

--CONGRESSMAN CHARLES B. RANGEL

Democrat of New York

NO The conviction I hold most dearly is that every individual is endowed with inalienable rights from our Creator. The most basic of these rights is that our lives are our own to do with as we choose. The Founding Fathers...