Body & Soul0 min ago
Conscription Yes Or No?
42 Answers
A friend of my son, going nowhere, rubbishy jobs and boozing like hell, just finished his basic training in the Royal Navy.
He looks fantastic, stopped drinking, slimmer and fitter, and more important, happier.
So as a lifelong civilian myself, I want to ask all of the service men and those retired, "Would conscription be a positive thing?"
Given the drift of some of our youth, would it help them?
Thinking of the opening scenes of, "Full Metal Jacket."
He looks fantastic, stopped drinking, slimmer and fitter, and more important, happier.
So as a lifelong civilian myself, I want to ask all of the service men and those retired, "Would conscription be a positive thing?"
Given the drift of some of our youth, would it help them?
Thinking of the opening scenes of, "Full Metal Jacket."
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// Thinking of opening scenes of, "Full Metal Jacket."//
then the question should be - should all young men go thro a play-act like the opening scenes of full metal jacket....
it is a film you know
conscription ended in 1962 and everyone agreed that the army was not an employment vehicle of two years for young men
but an army
and the two were very different
then the question should be - should all young men go thro a play-act like the opening scenes of full metal jacket....
it is a film you know
conscription ended in 1962 and everyone agreed that the army was not an employment vehicle of two years for young men
but an army
and the two were very different
If a youth will accept being a team player then the services will work and be of benefit to all. The services is not a youth club and if today's snowflakes are conscripted and demand their rights and buck the system then the whole concept of discipline and efficiency breaks down and there will be tears at last post. Sadly the instructors in the armed forces are on a hiding for nothing. Musn't shout or yell at mummy's little treasures.
My youngest son,fit as a fiddle could pee over the Lympstone fitness regime but wimped out because he didn't like the instructors shouting at him. God forbid they even made him make his bed and clean the ablutions or heads before breakfast.
At least the Royal Marines had a pre assessment course so the trainees could walk out if they couldn't hack it.Training costs a load of money and commitment is a worthwhile investment otherwise NO.
My youngest son,fit as a fiddle could pee over the Lympstone fitness regime but wimped out because he didn't like the instructors shouting at him. God forbid they even made him make his bed and clean the ablutions or heads before breakfast.
At least the Royal Marines had a pre assessment course so the trainees could walk out if they couldn't hack it.Training costs a load of money and commitment is a worthwhile investment otherwise NO.
The modern Army and other Armed Forces DO NOT WANT , nor will they accept conscription! They view themselves as Professionals, who all WANT to serve. NOT as an alternative to prison or probation.
Anyway with unemployment near an all time low. The problem is getting enough people to fill the vacancies in the forces.
Anyway with unemployment near an all time low. The problem is getting enough people to fill the vacancies in the forces.
Yes, of course it would help. It’s pretty much acceptedas part and parcel of life across much of Europe and varying places throughout the world yet inexplicably was stopped here many decades ago.
Pretty much everyone who went through it said it undoubtedly helped them in later life.
One only has to look at the former criminals, wasters, dropouts, miscreants and good-for-nothings who took part in programmes like Bad Lads Army and SAS style selection programmes to see the benefit and sense of achievement they gained, some having life defining moments of clarity, others just a fulfilling sense of achievement.
Sadly, the snowflakes of modern society would balk at the idea of National Service.
I was on the dole for 2 and a half years in the 80’s prior to joining HM Forces. Military service turned me from a lazy, good for nothing git who would be surfacing to face the day just as his Dad got home from his 8 hour shift at the pit, only to watch him start mowing the lawn whilst I stole a couple of his fags.
When I joined he told me I’d never make it. After 2 weeks I was ready for home.....but stuck it out, one day at a time it improved and before I knew it I was passing out in front of my parents, 10 feet tall, smart as a whip, looking and feeling like a million dollars as I and my pals gave an ‘eyes right’ to our cheering families and friends who’d seen us go from nobody’s to professional soldiers with careers and a sense of purpose.
Do I miss it? Every single day.
Would I do it again? Without question. Armed Service made me a better person and gave me life skills I’d never have gained elsewhere, not to mention circumstances and events that were part of history.
I’d recommend military service to anyone, you wouldn’t regret it.
Apologies for the long post, I’ll cease from waxing lyrical any further.
Pretty much everyone who went through it said it undoubtedly helped them in later life.
One only has to look at the former criminals, wasters, dropouts, miscreants and good-for-nothings who took part in programmes like Bad Lads Army and SAS style selection programmes to see the benefit and sense of achievement they gained, some having life defining moments of clarity, others just a fulfilling sense of achievement.
Sadly, the snowflakes of modern society would balk at the idea of National Service.
I was on the dole for 2 and a half years in the 80’s prior to joining HM Forces. Military service turned me from a lazy, good for nothing git who would be surfacing to face the day just as his Dad got home from his 8 hour shift at the pit, only to watch him start mowing the lawn whilst I stole a couple of his fags.
When I joined he told me I’d never make it. After 2 weeks I was ready for home.....but stuck it out, one day at a time it improved and before I knew it I was passing out in front of my parents, 10 feet tall, smart as a whip, looking and feeling like a million dollars as I and my pals gave an ‘eyes right’ to our cheering families and friends who’d seen us go from nobody’s to professional soldiers with careers and a sense of purpose.
Do I miss it? Every single day.
Would I do it again? Without question. Armed Service made me a better person and gave me life skills I’d never have gained elsewhere, not to mention circumstances and events that were part of history.
I’d recommend military service to anyone, you wouldn’t regret it.
Apologies for the long post, I’ll cease from waxing lyrical any further.
As others have pointed out, it takes a lot of money to train service men and women. All this is wasted if the trainee doesn't want to be there and certainly the people in the services don't want them. In nearly every instance the volunteer recruits are trained to a very high standard and to reintroduce conscription would, in my opinion, be an insult to these highly trained and skilled people. However something along the lines of conscription is needed, not in the services but run on parallel lines to it, as a civilian service. As JFK said, even though he allegedly stolen it from his headmaster, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country".
