2008 Woodie Awards
SDS holds "Drew draft" campaign to shed light on Iraq war conflict
Christa Hendrickson and Robin Markle
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Opinion
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No, the United States government has not re-instated the draft. The cards were sent as part of a direct action by Drew Students for a Democratic Society to bring awareness to the ongoing military engagement in Iraq, and the inequality that enables Drew students to live safely in our campus bubble while many of our peers are putting their bodies on the front lines of this war.
The last military draft was activated during the Vietnam War. The Selective Service held the first draft lottery drawing on Dec. 1, 1969. The results of the drawing were well publicized. As more troops were needed, lottery numbers determined which men were called to duty. Men between the ages of 18 to 26 were required to report for the draft.
Over 100,000 men resisted the draft, often by leaving the country. Others could buy themselves into higher positions in the military, in which case they were less likely to be deployed to Vietnam. Some things have not changed in the current war, the majority of economically privileged people do not enlist in the armed forces.
There are currently 157,000 American soldiers serving in Iraq. So far, 3,959 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq, and 29,133 have been seriously wounded. The vast majority of those affected are between the ages of 18 and 25?the same age range of many students here at Drew. While individual reasons for enlisting vary widely, it should be noted that one of the military's most impressive incentives for enlistment is a free college education?something the vast majority of Drew students have managed to afford in some way or another without putting our lives on the line on foreign soil.
Of those returning from Iraq, more than one in three have sought help for mental health problems since coming home, according to an Army report based on questionnaires filled out by 300,000 personnel after their deployment. The Washington Post reports that "of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq, 2,411 reported having thoughts of killing themselves. Earlier research has suggested that 12 to 20 percent of combat veterans develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which produces flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts that disrupt work and home life."
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