In the novel, All quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria there is a boy named paul who volunteers for the military. Paul is convinced by his schoolmaster to volunteer through the use of propaganda. Throughout this book there are examples of the importance of volunteer soldiers. By having a total volunteer military, all the members have freely chosen to join the military with their own intuition. The military is needed to protect and defend all citizens, and without those who are willing to sacrifice, a nation can be conquered by another hostile nation. Therefore, it is justifiable for society to demand physical and phycological sacrifices made by individual soldiers.
For why joined, fully knowing the physical and psychological demands that will be expected of them in the field. In Mark Daily’s essay, printed by the Los Angeles Times clearly states the reason why daily chooses to join the army. In his words, he says “I joined the fight because it occurred to me that many modern day “humanists’ who can claim possesses a genius concern for human beings throughout the world are in fact quite content to allow their fellow “global citizens” to suffer under the hideous state apparatuses and conditions” (daily, 2006, para 5). In January 2007, Mark Daily was killed by an I.E.D. This young man was born on the Fourth of july, a U.C.L.A honors graduate that had life going for him. But daily decided to join because of what he believed he should do. The parents of Mark expressed their feelings of the choice their son had made into joining the war in an essay written by Christopher Hitchens titled, A Death in the Family. They said “if he knew the possible outcome might be this his death, he would still rather go then have the option of living to age 50 and never have served his country” (Hitchens 2007 paragraph 7) Thus we see that many young people have chosen for themselves to service their country because of certain beliefs they hold dear.
Next, the military is needed to protect and defend al citizens. Niall McCarthy a data journalist, wrote and article on Forbes.com, which “the U.S military has 200,00 active service members deployed in at least 170 countries worldwide (McCarthy 2017 paragraph 2). On Seeker.com it verifies that out of the 195 countrie in the world 23 of them do not have active military. This statistic shows that most countries have found a need to have a military ready to fight when called upon. What purpose do these soldiers fight for? The core mission of the American Military which is stated on heritage.org is to ‘protect and defend our nation. This means deterring potential aggressors and, if deterrence fails fighting and winning wars” (Inboden 2015 paragraph 1). Since the beginning of wars and the use of the military, we have seen that it was all for one cause. Once peoples or countries begin to have arguments and threaten to punish one another, they begin to fight for ultimately the better welfare of their citizens.
Lastly, without those who are willing to sacrifice, a nation can be conquered by another hostile nation or thrown into suffering due to a lack of military. Theodore F. Roosevelt once said, “The United States Navy is an infinitely more potent factor for peace than all the peace societies of every kind and sort.” There are many examples of nations who have suffered from lack of military. One example is the country of costa rica. Costa Rica has no standing military and has been suffering due to lack of security. On coha.org a website focused on Hemispheric Affairs states that costa rica “faces a variety of security threats that test the country’s security capacity. Major national security issues include border control, drug trafficking and expansion of international kk criminal organizations into the country” (solis And Firchow, 2011, para 1). Not only do countries suffer due to security but also being ruled by another country. In an essay, “Why I Joined” written by Mark Dailey he said “innocent people your age have suffered under the crushing misery of tyranny. Every tool of philosophical advancement and communication that we used to develop our opinions about this war are denied to countless human beings on this planet, many of whom live under the regimes that have, in my opinion been legitimately targeted for destruction” (daily, 2007, paragraph 6) In the end, we see that without a military one nation may suffer and ultimately perish.
However, because children have chosen to volunteer it can corrupt and cause families pain. Abraham Lincoln once said, concerning those of his own family who suffered death, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what i feel were equally distributed to the whole human family there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me”(lincoln, 1841) Military service has been damaging separation in the lives of family members.
However, the military had also caused people to come together in unity. Steve Taylor, a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University wrote an article entitled, “why do human beings keep fighting wars?” which states that war “creates a sense of unity”, and “binds people together-not just army engaged in battle, but the whole community. It brings a sense of cohesion, with communal goals, and inspires individual citizens(not just soldiers) to behave honorably and unselfishly, in the service of greater good.” Warfare also enables the expression of higher human qualities that often lie dormant in ordinary life, such as courage and self sacrifice”(Taylor, 2014 paragraph 4) So although military may cause pain, and that cannot be overlooked, as communities come together they can support those families in the hardest of times.
In the end, it is justifiable for society to demand physical and physiological sacrifices made by individual soldiers. Reasons because having a total volunteer military, all the members have freely chosen to join the military with their own intentions. Also, the military is needed to protect and defend all citizens. Lastly , another hostile nation. Therefore, the physiological sacrifices of individuals soldiers is justifiable.
