Why is there less desire to serve our country than there was 10 years ago?
147979
The novelty has worn off.  Remember after 9/11, all the hoopla, all the allegience to the flag, all the flags and decals on automobiles.  The loyalty to the country, to the president, to the nation. Well, all that is gone, and George Bush is out there by himself with the dedicated men and women of the armed forces who still realize that the job is not yet done. Hillary Clinton is out there too, so is John Kerry, Howard Dean, Teddy Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and their ilk, doing and saying any stupid thing that comes to their small minds to discredit this president for the day to day things that he says and does.  I have learned from years of experience, that when you are pro-active in a situation, you're just as prone to mistakes as the guy in the trenches with you, and that is the situation George Bush is in today.  He is a pro-active president and he, like the rest of us makes mistakes and the monday morning quarter backs are right there to pounce if they discover that he failed to dot an I or cross a T.  To them I say: shame on you.  You are not leaders.  You are parasites, and hopefully with the grace of God, you will never be more than what you are today!  To those of you that have lost your edge, these things don't get resolved overnight, this isn't a three hour movie when everything is resolved before you leave the theater.  We have a president that will fight the good fight as long as there is a fight to be fought, and a military complex that will be behind him until victory is ours.  You youngsters who think the excitement and loyalty is gone, think again.  You only hear from the parasites, you haven't heard the roar of the silent majority, but you will especially at election time.
627143
Military Recruitment has always been low.  This is nothing new.\n\nThink about it.  The pay sucks, the working hours suck, the mental and physical demands are enormous.  You spend years away from home, in some of the worse places in the world.\n\nWhen most of your friends live in a house or apartment, you live in a barracks with 2-20 other people.  WHen your friends talk about going on vacation to Mexico or Bahamas, you get to tromp through the jungles of Panama.  Your friends all work Mon-Fri 8-5.  You often work 5-7 days a week, sometimes 48 hours straight.\n\nThe military attracts the rare person, the one who wants to serve their country.  We do it out of a sense of duty.  In much the same way as people who go into Law Enforcement.\n\nAnd just like Law Enforcement, there is a strict requirement in order to join.  A High School Diploma is required.  A clean criminal backgrouns is required.  Drug use is not allowed.  And there is a test that you must pass.  People who fall below the 30 percentile are not accepted.\n\nAnd here is a shock, almost 50% of the people in the military are Democrats.  And the recruitment numbers are roughly the same today as they were under President Clinton.\n\nYou are talking about a career that does not appeal to everybody.  And not just anybody is accepted.  And to be honest, there are a lot of people I would not want to see in the military.  People who whine and propagandize are not welcome, because they do not know how to do anything, they only know how to whine.
552617
you are not along in this thought but it does not means the same to every one in this country ,the diversity of people in the last 7o year has change . you know why is scary 70 year of bad international politics double cross , and 70 year of imposing  bad policy on country and ignoring that in 70 more year every thing comes down on the people and swiping everything under the carpet capitalism is good but at the cost of what. HISTORY TELL US THAT EVEN THE GREATS NATION DO NT LAST 4 EVER.
622568
We are in serious trouble if things don't change.  I think that the way society is headed and the things that we accept now are getting out of control.  Taking God and prayer out of the schools is a step toward our decline.\nWe have gotten away from a nation ruled by the people.  It is now run by special interest groups and lobbyist.  We the people has long been forgotten.
877292
I would love it if someone with a knowledge of history would answer this question in an unbiased manner.  Just of what little I remember (I'm 63), US citizens felt compassion toward the Jews after the war due to what happened to them.  They struggled for years to make it work.  Later on, the US may have kept it up for various other reasons also.  But that's the reason I remember.
54458
Its not just about money, some just want the status quo to continue, others want to see change happen for safety reasons.  Overall, people are just scared no matter what and war usually makes people think about their own mortality and how precious life can be.  Then there are those that believe in standing up and supporting the country that gave them freedoms that otherwise they wouldn't enjoy elsewhere.  I was anti-war while in high school but I ended up joining the Army and spent the best 5.5 years in my life.  I would do it again if I could.  But I learned also that those that have been to war, don't want it to happen again but they realize that sometimes war is the only answer, talking doesn't always solve it.
899140
Yes, our society has degraded tremendously since 1970! I was twelve years old back then, and I have been watching. I wish we could get our old values back before it is too late.
13697
Well! according to me the role of US in the modern society has changed from the past. Previously t used to be known as the nation which could take the World to the next level of technology science. But now it is trying to dominate countries and make them obey its orders or face the consequences.
968083
i hate to say it but i think people are caring less\n\nits a sad state of affairs when we forget what these people did and do for us\n\ni live in another country now and i STILL wear mine....i even make a point of thanking the vets that sell them for standing by us when we needed them and its nice to see their faces when they see how much they are appreciated by someone not even originally from thier country (obviously my accent gives me away)\n\nmaybe more needs to be done to educate youth about what happened in the last century and how much we have now and owe to those that fought
584603
Because not everyone wants the same thing.  Many people want no war or poverty, but not as much as they want other things: like power or prestige or the world to be the way that they'd like it.  As long as these things are more important for some people, we will unfortunately be stuck with chaos.
702179
Because the past already happend and the future holds endless possibilities. The present is depressing to most people. \n\nBut I do agree with you. America is worrying about the war (about four years too late when there's nothing we can really DO) and not about things it can actually change like the education system or global warming or ANYTHING.
1129420
Yes and you raise a good point. This used to be a land for everyone to come to. Now it is a country of a waiting list and no more room for the less fortunate.
20963
I do not believe compulsory military service is required for the time being. Although the Army has had trouble recruiting in the past they have now been on target for their recruiting goals for the past six months. \n\nRight now the Army is preparing for a major organizational transformation. Instead of Divisions being deployed (10,000-15,000 soldiers) Brigade sized units will be deployed (3,000-5,000 soldiers). What this means is groups of soldiers can be deployed in more efficient rotations. Now it will be less common for soldiers to be deployed 2 or 3 times.\n\nAlso, one thing most Americans do not know is there are currently 10,000 mercenaries or private security corporations in Iraq doing the same jobs as the actual soldiers. \n\nPolitically a draft would be a disaster for the Bush administration and there are enough alternatives that I don't see it happpening any time soon.
901354
One would hope the only reason a person would seek the job as president would be because they feel a difference could be made through their service. No, I'm not man enough for the job... but then again too few of the presidents we have elected have been either.
372047
I agree...maybe we should institute mandatory service, like they have in Israel.  When you're 18, you go into the service and serve 2 years.  Make every American earn the rights that they take for granted.
943215
Yes there are many military personnel that are doing the job they committed to do without regard to their personal feelings.\n\nI am ex-military... 1985-1991 and look at me... I am one of the loudest voices against Bush and his madman war.
1069336
our country hasn't changed any morels or values...they have "lost" them..and as long as they are lost our generation and the ones to follow will only continue to see the side effects...children killing parents, parents killing children, child pron, disrespect, and the list goes on.....in todays sociaty either everything is considered "ok"..and if not then they label it with a diease and then it's still "ok"......