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This week on the VOA Special English program THIS IS AMERICA –America at war. I’m Phoebe Zimmermann with Steve Ember.
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After the terrorist attacks ofSeptember eleventh, two-thousand-one, something new appeared inAmerica. Suddenly, people saw National Guard troops deployed atairports and other places. Many Americans commented on how unusualit was to see armed soldiers in public.
Soldiers are generally barred from duties as police or securityforces in America. The writers of the Constitution feared that thegovernment might use the military to suppress opposition.
But the events of September eleventh were themselves new.Hijackers had just used airplanes to kill three-thousand people atthe World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.
Since then, National Guard troops have helped protect otherpossible targets. Last week, the California National Guard set up alab to test for chemical or biological weapons at the Academy Awardsin Hollywood.
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The National Guard is a reserve organization of the Army and AirForce. Most of these part-time soldiers hold civilian jobs. Thesemen and women are often called “citizen soldiers” or “weekendwarriors.”
State governments use National Guard members to help duringevents like floods, earthquakes and riots. The federal governmentalso deploys them to serve in wars, including the war in Iraq.
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Who serves in America’s military? There are laborers and officeworkers. Doctors and lawyers. Engineers and musicians. They belongto different races, ethnic groups and religions. But all share onething in common. They have all volunteered. They were not ordered toserve.
The United States first went to war in seventeen-seventy-five, ayear before its independence. The Revolutionary War between theAmerican colonists and the British continued for several years.
In seventeen-ninety, Congress defeated a proposal for every ableman to take part in the military. America chose to have a volunteerarmy during peacetime. But in times of war, the military could holda draft.
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During the eighteen-sixties, both the federal government and theConfederate states of the South drafted men to fight in the CivilWar.
For World War One, in the early nineteen-hundreds, the UnitedStates drafted almost three-million men. For World War Two, aboutten-million were called to duty. That draft began in nineteen-forty,even as the United States resisted entry into the war. Then cameDecember seventh, nineteen-forty-one. Japan launched a surpriseattack on the Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The next war came in nineteen-fifty. North Korean troops invadedSouth Korea. The United Nations Security Council ordered militaryaction to aid the South. The United States drafted about two-millionmen. The Korean War lasted three years.
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Then came Vietnam. The United States fought to defend the southfrom the Communist forces in the north. The American militarydrafted almost two-million men between nineteen-sixty five andnineteen-seventy-three.
As the war went on, it became increasingly unpopular in America.Anti-war activists protested in the streets and on college campuses.They protested at the White House, the Capitol and many otherplaces.
Some of this anger centered on the way men were being drafted.There were charges of unfairness. College students, for example,were not called to active duty.
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Some Americans refused to fight. Young men burned their draftdocuments in public. Some draft resisters went to prison. Many fledto Canada.
In nineteen-sixty-nine, public pressure forced a change in therules for the draft. The military started a lottery system — inother words, a game of chance — based on birth dates. Officialssaid this would be a fair way to decide who might end up in Vietnam.
Today, eighteen-year-old men are required to sign up for possibleservice in case of a new draft. But the military depends onvolunteers to join the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and CoastGuard.
These include thousands of women. About fifteen percent of themilitary is now female. Some have died in battle. But women stillcannot serve as fighting soldiers. Debate continues over the idea ofwomen in combat.
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Some people disapprove of an all-volunteer military. CharlesRangel fought in Korea. Today Mister Rangel is a congressman fromNew York, a Democrat. He says too many of those responsible forAmerica’s defense are poor and members of minority groups.
Mister Rangel, who is black, points to a congressional vote lastyear to give President Bush permission to use force against Iraq. Hesays only a few of those who voted for the resolution even havechildren in the military. And all but one of those children, headds, are officers.
In January, Mister Rangel proposed to renew the draft. He saysall Americans should share the worries and risks of militaryservice.
The Defense Department opposes the idea of a new draft. It arguesthat minorities have moved up in the military. It also says they arerepresented in numbers similar to their numbers in society.
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In recent months, many American families have said goodbye to ahusband and father, or a wife and mother, called to service. Thesefamilies must learn to deal with their new situation.
For example, a businessman in Arlington, Virginia, belongs to theNational Guard. A few weeks ago, the military ordered him to activeduty. His service pay is not nearly as much as he received as acivilian. His wife says she is not sure she can earn enough money tomake their house payment each month. Congress has recently moved tohelp troops in the Persian Gulf with costs at home, including childcare.
A young teacher and Marine from Miami, Florida, was just told toget ready for duty outside the country. He worries that histwo-year-old son will not recognize him when he comes back. Or, asthe man says, IF he comes back.
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During the nineteen-ninety-one Persian Gulf War, the news mediacriticized American military restrictions on reporters. This timethe Defense Department tried something new. It placed more thanfive-hundred reporters from around the world with forces in theGulf. “Embedded” is the official term.
The reporters — including two from VOA-TV — received specialtraining from the military. They must also obey the orders ofcommanding officers.
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Embedded correspondents have provided live reports from troopsunder fire and on the move. Embedding should provide a morecomplete, and truthful, recording of events. That is the reasoning.But some reporters said this new system would also give thegovernment a better chance to control their work.
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As Americans watched the war in Iraq develop, public opinionstudies found that at least seven out of ten people supported it.But big protests also took place in New York and other majorAmerican cities. In recent months, more than ninety cities passedresolutions that said the money for the war should go for socialprograms instead. These cities included Los Angeles, Chicago andPhiladelphia.
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But thousands of people who support the war have held their owndemonstrations around the country.
Even some Americans who oppose the war say they want to showsupport for their troops. Even Hollywood, with its many proudliberals, appeared conflicted. Last week, at the Academy Awards,filmmaker Michael Moore denounced President Bush and the war inIraq. Some people in the audience welcomed his comments with cheers,but others booed in disapproval.
In any case, it is hard to argue with the words of a retiredfarmer from Chesterton, Indiana. Almost sixty years ago, he liedabout his age so he could join the Navy and fight in World War Two.Today, he says, “I think most people in this country believe thebest war is one that is over.”
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This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced byPaul Thompson. I’m Steve Ember.
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And I’m Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for anotherreport on life in the United States on the VOA Special Englishprogram, THIS IS AMERICA.