An Observation of Responsibility and Accountability in the Military

By Mickey Mincin Op-Ed

The soldiers who committed the atrocities, raping an Iraqi woman and killing her and three members of her family, my guess, never should have been accepted into the military.  I have great respect for the military, but I am beginning to wonder if the best and brightest are no longer joining.  A lack of numbers has allowed the entrance of men who lack the moral integrity to represent this country in combat.  I ask a provocative question: is the military attracting a less desirable membership more suited to mercenaries and less suited to soldiers and warriors.  Would a draft cut the number of men and women committing acts of violence against innocent people and open the military to a new pool from which to choose?  What about the men and women who choose not to fight?  Why not create a military that allows these men and women to serve at our boarders, serve during disasters such as Katrina, and become involved in Habitat for Humanity or any other endeavor that would benefit this country and the world.  What a military this would create.  It is the responsibility of military leadership to recruit soldiers worthy of the uniform no matter the division of the armed forces. We not only lack the individual responsibility in these instances of violence, but the military lacks the responsibility to reject those with personality “disorders” (Cloud & Semple, New York Times, 7/4/06).  Let’s not forget those soldiers who do not commit acts of terrorism and serve with distinction.  The few bad apples reflect poorly on everyone: our country, our military, and the world.  Perhaps it is the eagerness of recruiters not being prudent, but focusing on getting enough men and women to sign up without discretion.  After all, military enrollment is low, support of the war is waning, and we have a Defense Department run by a layman who has never seen battle.