Not about a draft, but about draftees.

I had a conversation with a ‘friend’ ‘while back ‘bout how the draft would fuck up the all volunteer military. He sez the draftees were just screwups and didn’t add that much to the service. So I sez to him,”First Army, 544 Supply and Support Battalion, HQ company, Petroleum Laboratory. Where’d you serve?” Seems he had a bad back or sumthin’.

Ya’ know, I for one am damn tired of hearing that argument. True, I didn’t enjoy being shanghaied for two years and I would have left at the first honorable moment, but dammit I did my job and I did it well. I also shared billets with lifers who couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel.

There were five of us assigned to a petroleum laboratory that maintained quality surveillance on everything that went into a military vehicle on Ft. Lee, VA. Three specialists (all drafted with college backgrounds), one Sergeant (from the hills of Georgia who had an innate sense of duty) and one (make that two) Second Lieutenant who was a ROTC wonder. Four out of five were short-timers.

There was only one “event” that caused damage to a vehicle. A C-47 fell out of the sky on takeoff. The next day a line of Airmen formed at the door of my lab. Seems the locals had short-cut the process and didn’t run their fuel through us first. Too much trouble and just red tape anyway.

In 18 months of duty not one single clogged fuel filter, not one single case of mixed contamination, not one single ding on our record but I keep hearing that draftees just weren’t up to the job.

To those who question the quality of American draftees, I say again, “First Army, 544 Supply and Support Battalion, HQ Company, Petroleum Laboratory. Where did you serve?”

Sign in, sound off.

didn't serve. If you volunteered in the 60's & 70's you have a right, but dammit step up before you speak up.

To meet TO&E standards there are a host of tests that have to be run on everything from drinking water to jet fuel. Halliburton doesn't have to drink the water or fly the jets. Who'da' thought standards would fall short.

And that is a fact - they can just quit and go home. They don't have to do anything.

That is a big part of the problem.

Joe

... draftees aren't up to the job or, as some here claim, "make a substandard conscript Army." That's just complete bullshit - propaganda from the professional militarists. Draftees won medals and awards in Viet Nam every bit as much as the career military ... which, given the tendancy to award them to Regular Army personnel, is quite remarkable. Yes, the 'Regular Army' was far more inclined to award recognition to career soldiers ... because it was their career!