A year of service

While I was abroad last spring, I was surprised to hear one of my progressive professors say that he favors a reinstatement of mandatory military service. Despite my initial shock, his reason was really thought-provoking.

He said that not only would it give teenagers a sense of discipline, but it would provide a setting in which they would meet people from other classes and geographic areas than their own. This would give them a more fully developed sense of their country and a new understanding and tolerance for others. Essentially, it would provide an element of equality.

Whatever your opinion of the response to Hurricane Katrina, it is hard to deny that a great deal of inequality exists in our country. In fact, we are deeply divided in many ways; socially, economically and politically. And while going to college allows us to meet people with different backgrounds and viewpoints, hopefully broadening our own in the process, it's an opportunity that is out of reach for many.

Mandatory service does exist in places around the world. For instance, in Israel, both men and women serve in the armed forces for two or three years. Finland has a year of compulsory military service for men. Both of these countries offer exemptions on ethical, physical and psychological grounds. Germany also has mandatory military service for men, but it possible to opt for hospital or other civic work, such as firefighting, or as an aid worker in a developing country.

Our country and our peers would benefit from young people having a common experience at about this point in our lives. If not making us equal in fact, it would improve our theory.

After high-school graduation, all kids would spend a year doing military, community or civic service before moving on to college or a full-time job. They would have a limited choice as to the sector into which they would be placed. For instance, no one would be forced to join the military.

Among other sectors benefitting from this program would be hospitals and public schools, which both face shortages. Sound a bit like an extended internship?

Following assignment to different sectors, kids would be put into groups and sent wherever they were needed. While not paid, they would be provided food, health care and housing.

They would also constitute a resource available in case of disaster. In the Gulf Coast, for instance, they could have freed up first responders to deal with their highest priorities and could now be helping with relief and reconstruction efforts.

Ideally, exposure to different people and different parts of the country would break down class, racial and regional divides. A new level of self-discipline and maturity would be achieved.

There would be a new sense of camaraderie and national cohesion, as well as a means of integration for immigrants. Kids choosing to go on to college would have a greater respect for their peers who did not. Those entering the workplace would have a set of skills that would make them more employable, as well as memories of an invaluable and unforgettable experience. They would understand that it is possible to respect and enjoy other people even if you do not agree with their viewpoints.

Certainly, there would be some challenges to overcome. The idea of mandatory service is antithetical to some people's idea of freedom. It might, in fact, conflict with the 13th Amendment, which protects us from "involuntary servitude." Maybe it could be considered similar to attending school, with similar truancy regulations.

Additionally, there are some questions about how this would work given the authority of the states in relation to the federal government. Pennsylvania, for instance, mandates a senior project in order to graduate. The year of service might constitute a sort of extended senior project, but every state would have to participate to make the experience meaningful.

There is also the question of whether the average 18-year-old is ready for this. Leaving home and leading a quasi-independent life is not easy. Obviously, some kids are ready for the challenge. But for those who don't know how to do laundry or boil water, it's quite a stretch. Mormon youth take two years to do missionary work, but they have the option of waiting until they have completed their sophomore year of college. Yet if the service for everyone were delayed for too long, other obligations and developments would get in the way.

So what I have is an idea, not a well-formulated policy recommendation. It won't solve the pervasive problem of inequality or heal the divides in our country. But it might help. And hey, it might even be fun.

Edith Mulhern is a senior French, international relations and history majorfrom Ardmore, Pa. Voice of the Sparrow appears on Fridays.

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