Dr. Phil is a Joke Blog

from Opinion Journal

While we're on vacation this week, we're publishing comments from readers who didn't care for Rep. Charles Rangel's disparaging comments about U.S. servicemen. We begin today with Chris Hicks, the proud father of a trio of servicemen-to-be:

I have three sons, the oldest a junior in high school. He is an A/B student in a liberal arts magnet school and cannot wait until he is old enough to join the military. His choice is the Marines, and he has already started making the contacts necessary for entry. His younger brother, an eighth-grader in an academic magnet school, is looking forward to a career in the Air Force.

While we are not extremely wealthy, their lifestyle is comfortable and their future options are wide open. My wife and I are happy for them but also a little terrified of losing one in their career choice. But at this age they already realize the American ideal and the desire to stand up for the greatness of their country.

So, for Kerry and Rangel, here are my sons--don't waste them.

Harry Meinhardt is part of an earlier generation:

I'll throw in my sad story about how economic circumstances forced me to join the Army and serve in three wars. It all began when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor back in 1941. I tried to join at age 16 but my mother found out and ratted me out to the recruiting office. When I turned 17, I told her that if she didn't sign for me, when I was drafted I would volunteer for the infantry. She knew that was bad news because a friend had already come back from Italy with one leg. She signed, and I volunteered for the paratroops. (I didn't volunteer for the infantry, did I?)

I went from high school to jump school to Europe and then home. I tried civilian life for a short time and found it dull and not challenging. When the Korean War broke out, I volunteered for that one, too, and went over as an infantry platoon leader. I came home, and the Army sent me to college to get a degree, hoping to alleviate my severe case of stupidity.

The Vietnam War broke out, and I volunteered for that, too. (Probably confirming John Kerry's and Charlie Rangel's views about the stupidity of military personnel.) Later on I earned a master's degree at the University of Southern California. I retired after three wars and 31 years and went to North Carolina State University, where I earned a doctorate.

All of the foregoing must tend to confirm my stupidity. Smarter and better men than John Kerry and Charlie Rangel never got a chance to serve as politicians. They died so people like John Boy and Charlie Boy could be politicians and disparage the service and the sacrifice of those who chose to serve in the military.

Michael Reeseman tried hard to rejoin--and succeeded:

I too find the "chickenhawk" tactic extremely frustrating. Not only is it logically empty (I am not a farmer but have a firm pro-food opinion), but taken to its logical conclusion, it would take military decisions out of the hands of anyone who has not served. This is exactly the opposite of our system: The military answers to civil authorities regardless of whether or not they've worn the uniform.

While logical argument never seems to take the life out of the chickenhawk gambit there is another way to stop it in its tracks: enlist.

No, wait--keep reading! I thought my window of opportunity for military service was forever closed with my final discharge from the Army Reserve in 1999. After 2001, like so many others I tried to find a way back in despite a lengthy list of medical disqualifiers. If I've learned anything about the government, it's that there's always a loophole. Eventually I found it in the State Defense Forces.

Over half of the states have State Defense Forces, which are duly authorized uniformed services under Title 32 of the U.S. Code. All states can have them, but only 26 (plus Puerto Rico) have set them up. These military units serve entirely within their home state, cannot be federalized, and answer to the governor (usually through the office of the adjutant general). Since they cannot serve overseas, these units do not train for combat but to prepare to aid civil authorities and back up the National Guard. In practice this usually takes the form of emergency response, logistics and security duties. I am given to understand that there are also quite a few specialty units such as JAGs, medics and chaplains.

Once I was convinced this wasn't some rump militia, and armed with a letter from my doctor certifying that I was fit to count tent pegs or fill sandbags in the defense of the state of Ohio, I applied for an appointment. I received a state commission at the same rank I had when I left federal service, and I now command a military police unit that drills monthly at an Air National Guard base just north of Cincinnati. About half of my troops are in the same situation as I was: prior service, middle-aged-married-with-kids, some minor ailments but basically fit, patriotic and disappointed that we couldn't make a contribution any more. Well, we can and we do.

I didn't want to turn this into a recruiting pitch (well, maybe I did, a little) but I thought there must be a lot of your readers who would like to do more as citizens than vote and pull jury duty. Not everyone is cut out for the Airborne Rangers, but there's still a chance for patriots to serve their country without leaving their state.

First Lt. David Hancock says many of his Air Force colleagues are resisting efforts to force them into early retirement:

Let's be pragmatic for a moment and accept that many people were and are motivated to join the military because of the opportunities it provides.

When people make a decision to take the route that affords them the opportunities they are looking for, is that not a sign of intelligence rather than stupidity? When the rigors of military life appeal to someone trying to develop character, skills and future job opportunities, signing up for the challenging experience is an easy decision to make.

Some years ago I weighed my options to pay for college. Scholarships were not difficult to come by, but I accepted an Air Force ROTC scholarship because the "trade-off," the four-year commitment postgraduation, seemed like one more benefit to an already great deal. I would get valuable experience as an officer in the Air Force that I could not get anywhere else at a young age, and I would be exceptionally prepared for subsequent life in the private sector.

I am now a first lieutenant with nearly three years on active duty. We are currently experiencing a period of intense change in the Air Force--change that necessitates cutting my peer group for my career field significantly. I am now faced with the very distinct likelihood of not being allowed to serve the full commitment I signed up for. Despite a difficult environment with frequent deployments and high stress for those left at home station, almost none of my peers across the Air Force have accepted the waiver of active-duty service commitment. Instead we have committed ourselves to competing for the chance to stay in the service.

It is clear, then, that I am not serving primarily because the Air Force paid for my schooling. So I ask myself: Why?

My father served more than 20 years in the Air Force, alternately an F-111 pilot and a college professor (he taught chemistry at the Air Force Academy and later commanded an AFROTC detachment). Seeing tears come to his eyes whenever the National Anthem played had a profound impact on me.

I grew up loving this country. I think that is the difference between people like me and the Rangelites. Did they love their country growing up? Do they now? If they did, they would understand why I serve.

Ari Steinmetz wanted to join up but didn't make the cut:

I was also struck by the Doonesbury arc in which a student declares he can best serve his country at a hedge fund. My story is something of the opposite.

I tried to gain admission to the Air Force Academy but, while I received a congressional nomination, my school record wasn't strong enough. I tried to enlist after college to enter flight school, but my recruiter said competition for such slots was too stiff and my test scores weren't high enough. My fallback was the M.B.A. program at Columbia. After one semester there, my recruiter called me up to say a slot had opened for me. I jumped at the chance and dropped out of school. After three months of officer training I shipped out to flight school at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. While I had a great time, once again I didn't make the cut and flunked out after nine months. I went back and finished my M.B.A. Now I am a mutual fund manager.

So, you see, I had to settle for an Ivy League M.B.A. and a Wall Street career because I wasn't good enough for the military.

Here are links to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth installments. We'll have one more set of letters tomorrow before returning to business as usual Monday.