Final Food for Thought for 2015

     This is the final food for thought for 2015 on the subject of the new Lodge Act (or something similar).  I know that yesterday's blog was unusually long-winded, it was by far the longest blog that I had posted thus far.  However, the subject matter, I believe, called for as thorough an explanation and argument as was possible.  I don't know whether I had done a sufficient job and convinced the readers, but there were still areas that I wanted to touch upon, so I will use this blog, the last one for 2015, for that purpose.
     Until my retirement fifteen years ago, I had spent most of my childhood and working adult life abroad, on five different continents.  In doing so, I was exposed to a lot of different cultures, different people who had varying thoughts and opinions about America.  Perhaps when I was young and living in Japan and Okinawa I did not pay as much attention as I should have.  But still, I managed to come away with some distinct impressions and had heard some opinions from Japanese and Okinawans that normally are not heard by an average person here in America.  This is how I became aware of the fact that there are people who have a deep hatred for America that was born out of envy/jealousy.  The most common refrain/criticism of Americans was that we had too much, we were all spoiled!  This criticism appeared to be standard everywhere in the world, even among the more developed nations!  Yet, there was also a definite desire by some to be like us, to not only have the same things that we have, but to live like us!  I believe that this factor alone would draw volunteers for service in our military!
     When I was in the service back in the 1960s, I did run into some of the military members of other countries, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Republic of Vietnam, Thailand, and several others.  I remember many of the members of those services were very interested in our service and asked questions about the possibility of joining our military!  It puffed-up my youthful pride that these foreign military members found our military to be attractive enough for them to be interested! Later, while I was with the Foreign Service, I have had locals approach me and ask me on how to join the U.S. military!  This happened practically in every country where I served!  I believe Egypt was the only country where I was not asked this question! 
     I remember how in the mid 1980s I was approached by a very impressive young Korean who was a university graduate and spoke excellent English.  He said he was very interested in joining the U.S. Army, that he would gladly serve as a private until he could get his citizenship, then he would apply for Officer's Candidate School!  This young man not only had a university degree, but had already served his 18 month obligatory service in the South Korean Army!  But I could not offer him any advice, since we had no mechanism for such volunteers!  In the 1990s, while I was in Canada, I was asked by a young Canadian why we didn't allow Canadians to enlist in our military.  He was very interested in the U.S. military but had no way of joining!  By far, Canadians have the easiest time of entering the U.S. (they only have to cross our northern border!), but, that is for temporary stay only, no work, no permanent living.  I believe we would receive a large influx of Canadians in our military services if we allowed them to enlist! 
     I know that most Europeans give us the impression that: 1. They are anti military. 2. They are anti American.  To be sure there are Europeans that are anti military and anti American (perhaps more than anti military!).  But, there are still those that like America and would gladly serve in our military if they were given an opportunity.  As with the young Korean and the Canadian that I mentioned, I have been asked by Europeans about the possibility of joining the U.S. military service. 
     Back in early 1990s, a young Japanese wanted to join the U.S. Army or Marines.  He came to our Embassy in Tokyo and asked about how he could join our military.  He was naturally turned away.  He joined the French Foreign Legion and gained some fame when he rose to the rank of Sergeant Major and was captured by Al Qaeda and executed in Afghanistan!  Incidentally, when he approached us, he not only spoke English but French and German as well!  What a wonderful fit he would have been for our Special Forces!  So you see, at least in my limited experience, I found that there is no shortage of qualified young men and women, for that matter, who would gladly serve in our military if they were allowed.
     As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, short of dramatically increasing military pay and benefits, the only solution that I see is to open up enlistment to qualified foreigners.  It will not turn our military into some sort of a "foreign legion," as some fear.  It would be no different than making it a requirement for all new young immigrants do mandatory military service, which would never happen because it would be ruled unconstitutional!  So, why not create some sort of a modified form of the old Lodge Act?
     In this new century, with all the wars that will be taking place, we will need a steady flow of new recruits in our military.  Congress would never approve a large pay increase, although they seem to have no problem increasing their own pay!  Drones and smart bombs and other video game type weapons cannot replace boots on the ground, no matter what some "brains" in Washington may think!  We need more bodies, more troops.  The new type of Lodge Act would be a solution.