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2011-07-03 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Last Army Draftee (CSM) Retires After 39 Years Of Service

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Posted by Anonymoose 2011-07-03 16:33|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Mike Yon wrote many articles about traveling with the Command Sgt. Maj. Mellinger.

Posted by Sherry 2011-07-03 19:51|| 2011-07-03 19:51|| Front Page Top

#2 Ah yes, the dreaded "Greetings from the president. Your friends and neighbors have selected you to serve them" letter.
Me, I took the chicken way out - I signed up for Navy OCS before I graduated from college. Strictly speaking, I was never eligible for the draft - I went from a 2-S (college deferment) to enlisted.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2011-07-03 21:01|| 2011-07-03 21:01|| Front Page Top

#3 "I ... told them I don't need to go into the Army, I've got a job,'' said Mellinger, who hung drywall for a living. ``They just kind of laughed.'

Unknown to a lot of people today is that in fact the draft was also utilized to do just that. To take young men graduating from high school out of the job pool to keep the unemployment figures lower. Back in the 50s and early 60s, paying them $76 a month was considered a good trade off than unemployment with a governing class that had just gone through the depression. The problem was, as we see with the current President, it provided a means to get into trouble someplace in the world. It's the 'if you have them, use them' attitude. And they did in Southeast Asia in the mid-60s.

Posted by Procopius2k 2011-07-03 21:36|| 2011-07-03 21:36|| Front Page Top

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