I promise you that conscripted privates were not benefiting materially in any way except through the indirect profiteering of the US by means of imperial acquisition.
The federal poverty line for an individual in 1976 was 1,375 dollars a year.
A private with less then 2 years active duty, or the standard conscription length, made 83.20 a month, or 998.40 dollars a year. Pre-tax.
That’s not exactly swimming in cash, which contributed immensely to the plummeting of conscript moral by the 70s.
Poor proletarian workers, especially minorities, did not have the resources to either run away to Canada, or the ability to subject their families to financial ruin by serving time in prison or leaving them behind.
The people who were dodging the draft were college educated labour aristocrats who had enough money themselves or from their families to keep their heads down in Canada until the draft blew over.
Should they have served time in prison or dodged the draft? Morally, absolutely. Materially? That’s where the idealism falls apart.
“You don’t understand the poor proletariat just had to kill Vietnamese farmers” let’s pretend this is true even so the vast majority of vets were volunteers
Vietnam war had conscripts. Very big difference.
All I see is people going half way around the globe to kill children for their own material benefits.
The day that they turn their guns back at their masters will talk.
I promise you that conscripted privates were not benefiting materially in any way except through the indirect profiteering of the US by means of imperial acquisition.
The federal poverty line for an individual in 1976 was 1,375 dollars a year.
A private with less then 2 years active duty, or the standard conscription length, made 83.20 a month, or 998.40 dollars a year. Pre-tax.
That’s not exactly swimming in cash, which contributed immensely to the plummeting of conscript moral by the 70s.
they could’ve chosen to dodge the draft
Poor proletarian workers, especially minorities, did not have the resources to either run away to Canada, or the ability to subject their families to financial ruin by serving time in prison or leaving them behind.
The people who were dodging the draft were college educated labour aristocrats who had enough money themselves or from their families to keep their heads down in Canada until the draft blew over.
Should they have served time in prison or dodged the draft? Morally, absolutely. Materially? That’s where the idealism falls apart.
“You don’t understand the poor proletariat just had to kill Vietnamese farmers” let’s pretend this is true even so the vast majority of vets were volunteers
Keep malding radlib
Look I ain’t defending them and yes they should have but it is still a difference