ARMY OF PEACE

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I submit that the proposal for a volunteer army would create more evils than it would eliminate, and that there is an alternative that might take the sting out of compulsory military service.

The military system in this country has always been dominated, psychologically and spiritually, by civilian attitudes; witness the endemic griping, loyalty with a touch of skepticsm, the general counting of the days until one's time is up. This is made possible only by the non-voluntary aspect of membership; even those who enlist may claim that they did it because they knew it was coming. And it means that the membership feels an overall identity with the free society. The military is an autocracy in which actions are dictated but not attitudes; it may be an unpleasant experience for the free citizen (and perhaps that is a good thing) but the constant in and out flux fosters a perspective without which the military would lose touch, to the ultimate harm of all.

Why not create the philosophy of an "Army of Peace"? Why not develop ways in which those who must for national security learn how to wear a uniform and fire a rifle may simultaneously lend their efforts in this and other countries to tasks promoting the social good and international understanding? Such a proposal is to be distinguished from suggestions involving a substitution of separate service programs for the military service; it would seek to make humanitarianism a working part of our defensive military posture. Clearly the requirements of military training will still have to be met, and the military system may adjust to this with difficulty. But let the seed be sown as soon as the present war is over. There is no threat that such a philosophy will threaten the strength of our defense; on the contrary, as the level of education in this country rises and the temperament of youth changes, our soldiers may demand that they be asked to die in a uniform that represents more than strict military efficiency. Frederic R. Kellogg '64