When we took notes on the movie, Vietnam: A Television History, "Nixon's Inauguration" and when we discussed it with the class. I found it interesting that men when they were drafted tried to have deferments. There were two kinds of deferements: medical ones and the ones that were for students. If you were a man attending a college or university which usually was the rich or upper class, those that could afford it. Basically the upper class could afford to go to college, and the middle class/lower class would be forced into the draft. Some men forced medical problems on themselves like the example from the move: a man (writer James Fallows) tried to lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks so that he would fail his physical, and therefore not be forced into the draft.Then according to our notes "Ways that the Iraq War is the same/different as/ than the Vietnam War" worksheet, it says that "no one has been prosecuted for failure to comply with draft registration since 1986....". If there was a draft now in the Iraq war, not just for men but for women also, due to the women's right movements, women would also be able to be drafted.
What do you think you would do: go through with being drafted not knowing what will happen to you? Or would you try to get some kind of deferment?
Alexandra S. - 5th Hr.
11 comments:
If there was a draft for the Iraq war, I think my family and I would try to get me a deferment of some kind. I don't believe people should be forced to fight for something if they don't believe in the cause. I don't believe in the Iraq war, so I would not want to have to fight for it.
I think a lot a people would feel the same way as me. And I’m sure people had similar reasons when there was a draft for Vietnam. I think a draft wouldn't have so many people trying to get deferments if the cause of the war was a cause that people actually believed in. If they knew what they were fighting for, and thought it was something actually worth fighting for, I think people wouldn't have that much of a problem with being drafted.
Jonathan Klar
4th Period
If I were to be drafted I would probably go through with being drafted not knowing what would happen to me. I would be very tempted to get some kind of deferment though. It would seem so much easier to try to get out of the war then to go fight in it. If I did get a deferment though I think I would probably feel guilty and selfish for not fulfilling my duty to fight for my country. I would be sitting safely at home while tons of other people went off to fight like they were told to. When the people came back from the war I would feel like they would always be judging me and people would think badly about me because I was a wimp and had to find a way to get out of the war. But if I really did have a problem that would keep me from going then I wouldn’t go to war. I would not only be endangering myself but other people’s lives as well. So if I was perfectly able to go to war, then yes I would go though with it and fight.
--Claire M.
5th hour
If I were being drafted try to get some kind of deferment. I would not want to fight for anybody but friends, family, or myself. I would definitely not want to represent a whole country in a battle, unless I felt very strongly about the topic, and hated the opposition, I wouldn’t fight. And the chances of me hating a whole race or country are slim to none. I wouldn’t fight especially for the U.S. Fight for what? President Bush? I would rather be thrown in jail then to fight in a war for the U.S.
If it were a few years back, then I wouldn’t have to fight in war because I have flat feet. A while back that was a rule that if you had flat feet then you could be drafted, but recently that law was taken out. Some things I would try to do to get away from being drafted would be to go to Canada. I would go to the most extreme to not be drafted because there is no political issue that I feel is worth my life. So I could easily say that I would do ALMOST anything to get out of war.
Jordan Najor
5th hour
If i were going into war i would defiently try get an deferment. I wouldnt want to go fight in a war. I would do anything to get out of it lose weight or act sick. if they ever tried to put a draft for the iraq war right now i would be really mad. Then again i would be in college but still i can get drafted. I dont wanna go to war for nothing. I dont understand the full purpose why we are at iraq and why we went there. I feel we fought a pointless war. I wouldnt want to be drafted to a war that i dont feel we should be fighing. I think there shouldnt be a draft i feel all people that think we should be fighing the war and vote a president into office that wants to fight an war should go over there and fight it for us. I dont feel like war is the right thing for anybody it just kills people and sometimes dosent resolve anything.
Aston Williams
6th Period
If there was a draft for the Iraq war, I think I would go through with the draft. Even though I know I would be very scared not knowing what would happen to me I do not think I could honestly try to get a deferment. Although as much as I would not like to fight I do not think I could get a determent. As citizens of the United States I think it is my duty if I am called to serve that I should go. Also it is dishonest to get a determent if you are physically able to fight. We should feel honored that we are able to serve a country like our own.
Allison L. - 5th Hour
If there was a draft in the Iraq war like there was for the war in Vietnam, I believe I would get a deferment as horrible as that might sound I don’t believe that people should be forced in to war, if they did not want to be. Its not the government right to draft people in the war it is such a terrible thing to do. The hardest part would be not knowing what will happen to you will you die will you live, leaving your family behind. I defiantly would not want to go through that at all.
Ashley B. 5th
If there was a draft for the Iraq war, I know that I wouldn't be able to get a deferment. I would just go to Iraq and serve my term as a soldier. I would be unbelievably scared, and I sad that I would be away from my family and friends for so long. But at least I was doing something for the good of my country. I wouldn't want to go, I just don't think that I would have had a choice, so I would end up getting drafted.
Trevor Lybeck
5th hour
If there was a draft for the Iraq war, I would be very shocked if I was picked. If I was picked I would try as hard as I can to get a deferment. I know that the deferment would probaly not work so I would have to go. I would be very scared pto go off to war and I would also be happy and honered that I get to fight for my country. But at the same time I would miss my family very much.
Eric Jefferson
6/1/07
5th hr
If there was a draft for the war I would definetly try as hard as I could to get any type of defferment so that I wouldnt have to go to the war. I would do this because I have heard stories and have seen pictures of what is going on in Iraq and I would not want to experience that kind of stuff first hand. Hopefully I would be able to get a student deferment so that I could get a job, but if not then I would try to get a medical deferment for my elbow because it is weaker from sergury. If I couldnt get either of these then I would pretend to have a hard time at the physical to make it seem like I wasnt fit for war and so that they hopefully wouldnt send me to Iraq.
Kevin K.
6th Hour
If I were drafted today to fight in Iraq for President Bush I would try hard to get a deferment. I would desperatley search for any way to get out of going to war. I wouldnt risk my life fighting in a meaningless war which appears to have no clear objective.I believe that many other people feel the same way. I admit that i would be terrified to actually be sent into war, but I would go if I was fighting for the betterment of mankind. If it came down to it I would even disperse to Canada as a last resort to getting out of war.
Eric P. 5th hour
I would not for one second think of entering this war in Iraq even if I was drafted. The reason for doing so (or rather not doing so) is because over the past years that we have been there, it has become more and more evident that the so-called “war” has not been for a good cause. World War II had a good cause, which was us defending our allies from invasion and stopping a genocide. These were relevant reasons for waging war. But the war in Iraq never had a good or real cause for a few reasons. The first was that the reason for going to war in the first place was because of the enemy supposedly possessing weapons of mass destruction. Not only was this not true, but it was just the excuse that Bush needed to go to “war”. Not too long ago, proof was given that there indeed were no weapons of mass destruction ever found by the weapons inspectors when they went to Iraq just before the war began. In addition, when they went to our president to tell him this, he not only ignored them but also kept them from finishing their job. And what’s more, this was exactly the excuse that he needed to start a war there to get Iraq to become a democracy (and thereby form relations with them so that we would have access to their oil). All of this makes the whole Iraq war ridiculous nowadays. Its causes are irrational and immoral, and I would not support my country for doing something like that.
To answer the question, I would not allow myself to be drafted into this war. If my family were able, we would move to Canada to escape the draft. If not, then I would find a way to make myself medically incapable for serving in this war. If this was a rational war (like if we did find WMDs in Iraq, or there was a real threat), then I would serve in this war.
Will D.
5th hour
Post a Comment