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From: chen@sundial.gatech.edu (Ray Chen)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: draft
Message-ID: <1990Nov27.044138.2540@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 27 Nov 90 04:41:38 GMT
References: <1990Nov14.010810.15256@cbnews.att.com> <1990Nov16.052603.22130@cbnews.att.com> <1990Nov21.221810.20549@cbnews.att.com>
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From: chen@sundial.gatech.edu (Ray Chen)

In article <1990Nov21.221810.20549@cbnews.att.com> randy@ms.uky.edu (Randy Appleton) writes:
>In article <1990Nov16.052603.22130@cbnews.att.com> yun@eng.umd.edu (Dragon Taunter) writes:
>>Besides, who would you want to fight a harsh desert war?  Middle aged, out of
>>condition reservists or less experienced but younger men (this is _draft_
>>so no shouts of sexism please) in prime physical condition?  

>Actually, I'd trust the trained and prepared reserves much more than people
>drafted off the street, who don't want to be there.  Also, there is something
>more ethical about sending people off to fight who volenteered than those
>that did not!

On a recent flight, I met a reservist who had been called up.

He said a few interesting things, among them:

1)  If you've got some guy in a helicopter trying to do something
	tough while under fire, who would you rather have flying
	the thing:  some 19-year old kid or a 40-year guy who's
	been flying for years and may have even seen combat?

2)  The age of the average soldier in WWII was 27.  The age of
	the average soldier in Vietnam was 19.  The additional
	maturity makes a difference and the Army has realized this.

If this guy was at all typical of the quality of men in the reserves,
they'll do just fine.

	Ray Chen
	chen@cc.gatech.edu