Should Military Service be a Requirement for the office of President?

[PistolBob]

Should Active Duty Military Service be required in consideration of the job of United States President?

In the last 50 years:

Lyndon Johnson - Lt Commander US Naval Reserve, WWII Active Duty (1940-1964)
Richard Nixon - Lt. Commander US Naval reserve, WWII Active Duty (1942-1966)
Gerald R. Ford - Lt. Commander, US Naval reserve, WWII Active Duty (1942-1946)
Jimmy Carter - Lt. US Navy, Active Duty Post WWII, (1946-1953)
Ronald Reagan - Capt. US Navy, WWII Active Duty, (1942-1945)
George HW Bush - Lt. (jg) US Navy, WWII Active Duty, (1942-1945)
William Clinton - Did not serve
George W. Bush - 1st Lt Texas Air Guard, 2 YRS Active Duty, (1968-1974)
Barrack Obama - Did not serve

How many of the 2016 candidates have military experience? None.

In 2011 the 112th Congress had 90 vets in the House and 28 in the Senate.

This is 118 out of 535 or 22%

 

[possum_128]

How can one be a commander in chief of our military forces if one has not served? nuff said.

 

[Fargo]

How can one be a commander in chief of our military forces if one has not served? nuff said.

Because the Framers hated standing armies and wanted control of the military to be outside the military. They never envisioned anything like our current military and were actually adamantly opposed to it. That is why the Constitution has the weird military appropriations clauses it does.

 

[HoughMade]

Because the Framers hated standing armies and wanted control of the military to be outside the military. They never envisioned anything like our current military and were actually adamantly opposed to it. That is why the Constitution has the weird military appropriations clauses it does.

Well, there's that.

I'm fine with the Constitution as it now reads....if we could interpret it according to it's terms....that would be great too.

 

[avboiler11]

No.

And why yes, I did raise my hand and take the oath of enlistment.

 

[r3126]

Concur with POTUS. How about SecDef and the service secretary, too. They have a much closer relationship with the services and serve as a buffer to POTUS. The current SECDEF and the three service secretaries are merely lapdogs to the CMOTUS (chief muslim of the United States) and are rendering our military means and personnel to near uselessness (except as a vehicle implementing social change issues).

 

[IndyDave1776]

Because the Framers hated standing armies and wanted control of the military to be outside the military. They never envisioned anything like our current military and were actually adamantly opposed to it. That is why the Constitution has the weird military appropriations clauses it does.

Making such a requirement would establish a de facto nobility, and in fact would mirror the rise of the medieval European nobility. No, I am not signing on to become a serf, thank you very much.

 

[Vigilant]

I prefer Heinlien's method service for citizenship! To be a full citizen with voting rights and such, military service is required.

 

[PistolBob]

I prefer Heinlien's method service for citizenship! To be a full citizen with voting rights and such, military service is required.

Shades of Starship Troopers!! :-)

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

It shouldn't be a requirement, but there's much a person can gain from the experience. Other things likewise. We've tried no qualifications whatsoever, and seen how that's worked out; I'd like to try someone who's been an Eagle Scout, a commissioned officer, the CEO/founder of a corporation, and a regular attendee of church who walks the walk, maybe governor of a state.

I'm not any of those things myself (except the walking part) but I can sure appreciate them. Not looking for perfect, but someone that can work for a goal, organize resources, remain calm under stress, that kind of thing. Kipling's whole "If". You get practice with those things in those places. Of course, he might still be a total nimrod, you'd have thought with all Carter's qualifications he wouldn't have been such a complete loser, but if I was doing job interviews I'd play the odds.

 

[PistolBob]

It shouldn't be a requirement, but there's much a person can gain from the experience. Other things likewise. We've tried no qualifications whatsoever, and seen how that's worked out; I'd like to try someone who's been an Eagle Scout, a commissioned officer, the CEO/founder of a corporation, and a regular attendee of church who walks the walk, maybe governor of a state.

I'm not any of those things myself (except the walking part) but I can sure appreciate them. Not looking for perfect, but someone that can work for a goal, organize resources, remain calm under stress, that kind of thing. Kipling's whole "If". You get practice with those things in those places. Of course, he might still be a total nimrod, you'd have thought with all Carter's qualifications he wouldn't have been such a complete loser, but if I was doing job interviews I'd play the odds.

History has shown that some of the very worst administrations come from presidents that were Senators, while some of the most highly regarded have been Governors and not experienced in the ways of a congressional member. Interesting.

 

[BogWalker]

While I certainly admire military service in a Presidential candidate, mandating it would not be good to the health of a Democracy. The beauty of Democracy is that, theoretically, a high school drop out could be elected.

Let's not go around establishing a military junta.

 

[GIJEW]

If military service was mandatory--visualize Switzerland or Israel--this wouldn't be an issue. As long as we have a volunteer military, service should not be a requirement for being president.

 

[avboiler11]

I think the fact no 2016 candidates have military service is reflective of the declining percentage of citizens who have served in the military over the last few decades.

 

[actaeon277]

No.

And why yes, I did raise my hand and take the oath of enlistment.

I agree.

I prefer Heinlien's method service for citizenship! To be a full citizen with voting rights and such, military service is required.

Shades of Starship Troopers!! :-)

Actually, I don't think it was "military service", I think it was "Federal Service". Just a big part of Federal Service was military.

 

[femurphy77]

Shades of Starship Troopers!! :-)

Mmmm, Dizzy. . .

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

NO. I did not serve, but was certainly willing to. We have a VOLUNTEER army. If someone dodged the draft, I think that it is totally fair to take that fact into consideration when voting. But NO it should not be a requirement for a number of the reasons stated above.

 

[actaeon277]

Mmmm, Dizzy. . .

The movie SUCKED.
Read the book

 

[MisterChester]

No. That's what military advisors are for.

 

[HoughMade]

The movie SUCKED.
Read the book

The book portrays "earned citizenship" positively....not so much in the movie.