The Dirty Dozens

Have you seen the movie "The Dirty Dozen"? If you're a guy the chances are that the answer to that is most likely a yes. If not then you owe it to yourself to get out there and see the film. Not that it will make this blog make any more sense but at least you can count yourself among the thousands who have seen this movie and drawn some enjoyment from it. The reason I bring it up is because the thematic elements from this fictional film are now slowly becoming a part of our present reality. Now while it's thankful that we still aren't fighting the second World War, what part of this fictional story that is coming true is the fact that more and more people with criminal backgrounds are being accepted in to the military.

Now in the film, the main characters of the story are largely criminals who are sentenced to life in prison or death and are given a chance at full pardons if they complete a highly dangerous mission behind enemy lines. While this makes for fine entertainment in the movie theatre, there are a lot of people out there who are a little concerned about how this will go over in real life. Lots of people out there are a bit distressed at the fact that people with criminal backgrounds are being accepted in the military. That's not to say that all of them are sociopaths or psycho killers who are being let loose in Iraq and Afghanistan but the fact that already the standards for the military (especially the Army) are being lowered to allow those who previously would have been exempted are being accepted now.

So what is a possible alternative to having criminals represent our country's military in Iraq and Afghanistan? Well the simple answer is to get more people involved in the military. Now of course that's easier said than done. Part of the reason for it is that most people are not all that thrilled to join up with the military at this point since enlistment likely means rapid deployment to the war zones of the world. In the past there was always some allure to the reserves because it meant additional income for limited deployment time. But with the end of the Cold War and waning enlistment numbers in general, the reserves are part of the backbone of the current military's make up.

So if we can't get people to enlist then what's a solution? Well implementing the draft is certainly one way to go about it but if that happens, you will suddenly see support for the war drop to near record numbers. It's all fine and dandy in theory but it isn't all that peachy reality. The draft was last used during the Vietnam War and at that time opinion (much as it is in many parts of the nation today) was firmly against the war. While support for the troops is high, there aren't very many kids or parents who are willing to consider allowing their kids to sign up if they run the very real risk of being killed over in Iraq. I guess that means the criminals are a way to solve the enlistment problem because no politician I can think of would want to commit political suicide by suggesting the draft be rekindled. Too bad Lee Marvin isn't around to whip these guys into shape and ensure a successful mission.