(I’m listening to “Goodnight Saigon” by Billy Joel)

In a remote corner of a Texas airport, a short, angry man in a camouflage uniform and big brown hat suddenly began screaming.  “All right you maggots, shut up!  My god — you all are the sorriest excuses for airmen I’ve ever seen.  Now form ranks and get on the bus! Now!!”

No, I silently told myself.  It is not a bad dream.  I really had enlisted in the military and was now on my way to basic training at Lackland Air Force base near San Antonio.  After six weeks, I officially became an Airman and would later return to my Air National Guard unit in Baltimore, Maryland.

The United States has not conscripted the members of its armed forces since 1973, during the era of the Vietnam conflict.  Every male American between 18 and 25 still has to register for the selective service just in case there is a decision to resume the draft.  But despite the U.S. military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, neither Republican nor Democratic Party leaders have shown much interest in taking that step.

In my bunk bed, after arranging my issued uniforms and gear and shining my boots as perfectly as I could manage, I thought about the 30 or so other members of my “flight” and why they had volunteered.  Many were like me.  I had wanted training and expertise to help me find a better job.  Others did not have enough money to attend a university and knew the military would pay for their education once their four year contact was finished.  And others simply did not know what to do once their high school was finished, but were ready for new sights and experiences away from the towns and neighborhoods where they had grown up.

We came from all over the country – the suburbs of New Jersey, downtown New Orleans, and farms in Nebraska.  Our flight consisted of blacks, whites, Hispanics and Asians, and we made fun of each others’ accents when the training instructors weren’t around.

But, at the same time, we did not represent all of the United States.  There were no Harvard or Yale graduates in our officer corps, and I never met the son or daughter of a political or business leader while I was enlisted.   The debate over conscription in the United States resurfaces occasionally because of the argument that the military is not truly representative of the country.  But others maintain that enlistment should remain a personal choice.

What do you think?  Is there conscription in your country?  Do you think it is fairer when everyone is required to serve or when the decision is left to up the individuals?