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Show .Draft Violates Constitution Again, this may or may not be so. The military is great for using men trained in mechanics to mow general's lawns or men trained as cooks to be foot-soldiers foot-soldiers or vice versa. There is no real binding obligation ob-ligation for the military to use a man in the field in which he has been trained. In the case of combat medics, the odds are very good that the man will be used in his trained field, but he may not be. He could just as easily be sent to Vietnam given a rifle and told to go out and be a foot soldier. If he refused he could again be court-martialed. Involuntary Servitude Since the draft act itself violates, in my humble Editor: Mr. Stevens Re "The Moral Way Out" Mr. James L. Stevens writes a very interesting letter upon a possible way to fulfill the prerequisite military obligation of most young male Americans but there is a problem contained in his letter. I find . no fault with his ideas, only his reasoning. Mr. Stevens' most obvious fault in reasoning is using civilian logic. He is assuming that the military is moral and law-abiding in its treatment of draftees or enlistees. The record indicates that this is not necessarily so. Check the hospital records to see how many G.I.'s are put in there by mistreatment by sergeants or petty officers. The oath used to swear a person into the military automatically removes most of those rights and safeguards that people on the outside out-side automatically assume are guaranteed by the Constitution. No Autonomy There are, in addition, two fallacies in Mr. Stevens' logic. The first is his assumption that if a person enlists he will receive his enlistment nommitment. This may or may not be so. The weasel wording of military contracts, especially those upon enlistment, usually contain a clause to the effect that, if the school is overcrowded or the training program is too full the contract is no longer valid, or if the enlistee fails to complete the school or training program, he will automatically be reclassified to wherever the military nan best use his talents or body, i.e. usually the infantry. in-fantry. In connection with failure to complete the training, if the enlistee can not stomach the harassment, inhuman in-human treatment, or moronic sergeants (mostly grade-school grade-school drop-outs), and complains about this he can be court-martialed for insubordination, disrespect for a superior officer, or failure to obey a lawful order. In regard to military justice, it is very difficult to obtain justice by going through nhannels. The only sure way to get fair treatment in military courts is to complain com-plain both to the nearest chaplain and to a congressman congress-man by mail. Then you might receive justice. Tied In Red Tape Further, the military is one of the best examples of the fact that ignorance is damaging. To obtain justice by going through channels, first you must know exactly which AR (Army Regulation), AFR (Air Force Regulation), etc. has been violated in regard to the treatment accorded you, then you must know how to initiate proceedings to obtain justice (deliberately obscure ob-scure to prevent usage), then you must be allowed to go through channels with the complaint. The simplest simp-lest way is just write your congressman. The second fallacy of Mr. Stevens' logic is that, assuming the poor slob has finished his military training train-ing and has been sufficiently brainwashed to participate partici-pate in the military machine, he wiU automatically be utilized in the field in which he has been trained. opinion, the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, the one forbidding involuntary servitude, it is not to be expected that they will preserve the other human rights supposedly granted to all American citizens. My main reason in writing this letter is not to argue with Mr. Stevens' idea, which is a good one, but only with his analysis of the military mind. In case anyone wishes to contradict me, I've been out of military duty just 43 days. I have an honorable separation, a draft clasification of IV-A, and orders promoting me to Specialist Fifth Class (E5), which was not too bad for two years service in the army. During my tour of duty I helped process paper-work on three (3) court-martials, and numerous Article 15's, in working as a company clerk. I also read numerous Army Regulations and the aMnual of Court-Martials Court-Martials of the United States Army So I believe that I have some understanding of the way the military machine operates. Harry B. Balle Jr. |