This has been a huge reader reaction day -- as was the case the last time I wrote about the all-volunteer military, the absence of the draft and the Iraq war. I have encouraged the letter-writers to post to this blog. I hope they will. In the meantime, here are some samples.

Letter from reader Lynn Pakulla:

I just read today's column and I couldn't agree more with you.  Thank you for putting in words a subject that has been going on in my mind for a long time.  I hope the efforts of the writers, Frank Schaeffer and Kathy Roth-Douquet will begin a new wave of thinking about serving our country.

I truly wish the draft would be reinstated and require mandatory service of everyone from age 18-21.  That way everyone in our country would be affected and perhaps become a little more involved in the social responsibility to vote as well as serve our country.   

My youngest daughter Shannon is 27 years old and currently on her second tour in Iraq.  How often I have thought of how much she is giving by serving our country.  The price of gas is of little consequence as I constantly worry for her safety and safe return.  My problem is not that she is paying her dues but I feel she is paying more than her dues and when I see how the youth of our country, not only the elite youth of our country but those who have fallen through the cracks of society and are unemployed or selling drugs or existing without any direction or desire to work at all. 

I thank you for bringing out a very important issue.  It's time for America to wake up! 

Letter from reader Susan Boyd:

My son, now 40, was a Marine. He spent several months off the coast of Lebanon but, thankfully, was never put in harm's way. As a reservist, he was called up for the first Gulf War but, thankfully, stayed stateside. Even though he never saw combat, believe me, I know of mother's fears and concerns regarding a son in the military - especially the marines. Our only grandson will soon turn 17 and the thought of something happening to him makes me sick to my stomach. He's bright and talented and will be going off to college, not the military.
    With all that said, I do believe we need a national draft during this time of war. We need a formal declaration of war so military families can receive the financial assistance they deserve. We need to ration something - anything - to put people's minds into the war effort. We need to fly our flags with pride and honor, not just for our country but for our service people. We need to stop funding big business and the wealthy and fund our military, giving our men and women the equipment they need now and developing the technology necessary for tomorrow. We need to stop taking money from the Navy and Air Force to cover the cost of having an army. We need more housing rehab facilities for the families of the wounded. We need to offer jobs to those wounded who have recovered and been through mental and physical trauma the like the rest of us will never imagine. We need to remember that right now a handful of volunteers are fighting to the death for the survival of this country. We need to support them and join them in the fight.

From Sandy Lybarger

I would have to agree with you about the strain.  The only ones that are being affected are the troops and their families.  Speaking as a mom of a soldier who is with the 172nd Brigade that just got extended -- it is just affecting us. You hardly see any ribbons on vehicles anymore. The support for our troops is low.  It’s basically if it doesn't affect me - who cares?  My son has been in Iraq more than a year and got back to Alaska for about a month and had to return.  He was due to get out of the Army originally in August 2006. They extended to November 2006. Now it’s been extended again until March 2007.  How many times can they do this?  I know it’s a voluntary Army, but he signed up for three years.  He's my only son.  My personal opinion is they should start bringing the troops home. Believe me I support our troops 100%, but where is the support from our country?

From another military next-of-kin:

You made many important points that need wider discussion in our country.  For a variety of reasons, including those you discussed, most Americans do not, in their daily lives, have to confront the fact that the nation is at war.  It would have been hard to imagine this state of affairs in the weeks and months just after 9/11. Though I have not read the Schaeffer/Roth-Douquet book you quote, I imagine their research supports your key point that there is a lack of shared responsibility across all social and economic classes for the nation's defense.  Certainly, there is a great divide in our country between the civilian and military cultures, as you said.  I can attest to that, as a military next-of-kin myself and as a civilian employee in the Department of Defense.  This undoubtedly is not a good thing for the country.  But is it an inevitable consequence of an all-volunteer military?  Would you take the next logical step of advocating the reinstatement of a draft?  And would a draft necessarily solve the problem? I think our Viet Nam experience suggests that the problem might persist, even with a draft.

From reader Joan Hart

As a pre-teen in the 40's, I well recall how invested we all were in WWII. Rationing of coffee, sugar, gasoline, shoes, meat, etc. drew us into the war effort. We saved tinfoil, even from our gum wrappers, saved empty cans, poured our pennies into buying war bonds, and we had a leader as President who inspired us to ultimate victory. No wonder the present war is called "Bush's War"! He's in it virtually alone except for the brave men and women who have fought and died.  It's been a big mistake on his part to ignore the American people. In January, 2003 I stood on a freezing day on the Washington mall with thousands of people to protest the threatened war. Bush's comment the next day was simply that he "would not be moved by public opinion." No wonder I call him the worst president in my lifetime!  God help our courageous and generous troops!