Whoa! Who is this person saying military classes should be mandatory? That is against my rights, my freedom, and everything I stand for. Well, I have some news for you! A large portion of our population either served or is currently serving in the military. From what I've noticed, both as a civilian and an up-and-coming ROTC student, I can clearly see the divide between our heroes and the averages Joes.
Personally I think everyone can benefit from this. It would be like a mutual relationship. Let me further explain myself before you call me a war mongering lunatic.
Let's say we make this military class mandatory in high school. Just for one semester/trimester/year/however the school system works. It would be a course about our military history and how it currently works. I bet you that you can't name our Secretary of the Army. (Our current secretary is Patrick Murphy, who took over from Eric Fanning. He had a short term. John McHugh, the guy before him, served for six years.) Not only that, but do you know who is our current Five-Star General? (That's a trick question. The last acting Five-Star General was General Bradley in 1950. That rank is currently available as it is usually given during a time of major war.)
So now that I proved that you don't know everything about the military, which is fine, there's another question at hand. Why should we know about these useless facts? Well to start off, having a military understanding from a civilian point of view really helps you realize what millions of Americans are going through. You don't have to sympathize for the men and women, but at least appreciate them. They do a service to your country, don't get paid nearly as much as they should, and are the unspoken heroes of our country. It's the least you can do for them to pay some respect.
The men and women serving do not know you, but they put their lives on the line for your well being. Learning how the military will help and inform you on something is important to our country. We take pride in our military and how we are a young nation yet the most powerful. Learning the ranks of the military and how the structure can open the eyes of civilians is important. Not only that, but in the course we can also include how becoming an officer is different than enlisting, the amount of training our troops go through, the different types of training they do, and how the military is set up (i.e. divisions, platoons, units, etc).
This doesn't have to be an extensive course, but it really can show how the military works. Having former military members teach these classes will not only create jobs, but will bring the civilian and military communities closer together. Will civilians ever 100 percent understand what military members go through? No, but it's possible that this class will make people want to enlist or become an officer. The rate of joining would rise, and our nation as a whole could be a little bit closer. People constantly talk about how making military service mandatory is either a good or bad thing. Personally, I can see why people don't want that, and they have a right to not join. But at least this gives them a perspective, and they can make an educated choice.
If any parents believe this class is promoting war, acts of violence, or anything against their belief, then they don't know the first thing about our military. We do a lot of support and aid. Not only that, but not every branch in the Army, Navy, etc. goes into combat. There are support branches that helps the Combat Arms. If they really don't want their child to take the class, they can opt out.
I really believe by actually doing this, this can create jobs, instill a sense of pride, show military appreciation, and reinvent a generation that will come to learn and understand the military.
