Does anyone truly believe an 18-year old has enough experience 2 decide that he/she is willing 2 die in IRAQ?

Answer 1

Yes. It is a volunteer army and everyone knows what may be asked of them during the performance of their duties.

All branches of the armed services have stated they will meet their recruiting quotas for the fiscal year. There are a lot of people who not only support the war, but they are choosing to go because it was the right thing to do when we entered the war and it is the right thing to do now.

Answer 2

Aside from the 'special' connotation of Iraq (after all, why would it be any different from any other war), the question is actually a good one!

I have often debated the arbitrary ages we chose to establish 'adulthood'. You register for the draft at age 18 as the Federal government now considers you an adult, and yet in every state you still have three years before you can drink legally.

I think we need to establish a consistent standard for adult age, and stick to it for all the privileges and responsibilities that go with it.

Answer 3

Absolutely not. I am an 18 year veteran of the armed forces and I have seen some who were mature enough, but overall NO.
I would suggest the same age as drinking--21. If a person isn't mature enough to drink responsibly than he sure the hell isn't ready to make a decision on whether to die, or to kill for that matter. Just my opinion based on my experience.

Answer 4

The person's age should not be the determining factor. An ability to demonstrate that one understands what one is getting into when volunterring should be a requirement. Honesty in recruiting should be a requirement. And since we're talking about "serving one's country" a person should know what that means. "The country" is not policies and interests of a small number of rich, powerful people. The country is the 300 million legal citizens of the United States and the interests of those citizens. If a person cannot, for example, demonstrate a clear understanding of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and its Amendments, which are the simplest descriptors of what this nation is supposed to be, I say they are not qualified to decide to risk death in the service of something they do not understand.

Calendar age should fall behind all of those things in determining whether a person is competent to volunteer for service in armed conflict.

Answer 5

Yes I believe so. We can, and in many cases do, coddle our young all the way into their 30's, but at some point it's important to let them be adults. 18 is old enough to vote, and marry as well. The best a parent can hope for is that they've already raised their children with enough maturity, wisdom, and responsibility to make good choices by that age.

Answer 6

It's not a question of whether the 18 year old has enough experience, it's whether or not the government believes they can send them to war at that age.

Answer 7

Yes, I do. At 18 they are legally adul ts who make their own decisions. What do you recommend, keeping them from being adul ts until they're 21? 25? When are they old enough to "decide that he/she is willing 2 die in IRAQ"? You ask questions to which you are looking for a specific answer to. I find that interesting and ignorant.

Answer 8

Yes, but it would help if the media was doing their job so an 18 year old could make a informed decision. Also, you can die for your country but you can't legally have a drink??????

Answer 9

No. I don't think that anyone should be willing to die in Iraq at any age. And for what purpose are we letting our troops die or become severly injured in Iraq.

Answer 10

Yes they do. Any young man / woman that has decided to serve our country, especially in todays world, has more than enough knowledge to make an informed decision. They still make the decision to serve even though our mass media is bias on their reporting. The one thing I think it is sad though, is that they can make the decision to serve our country, but can't drink a beer.