A supporter of the AWSC idea, President Obama said the Kennedy Serve America Act is about "connecting deeds to needs." The needs are much greater than the underfunded budgets that places only 75 -- 90,000 AmeriCorps and 7 -- 8,000 Peace Corps in the field -- a long way from the annual 100,000 PCVs Kennedy called for quickly fielding in 1961.
We need to send many, many more fulltime volunteers into hospitals, community health centers, physical therapy wards, homes for the elderly, school and after school programs, state conservation corps, small local non-profits, needy communities; as well as in established and successful NGOs peace-producing platoons such as Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, etc.
Present generations face climate and terror wars. Both stem from public policy ignorance. To win climate, terror, and ignorance wars, a stumbling American empire must field more and larger constructive, peaceful, and knowledge building platoons and inspire other nations to do the same. America's voting and funding attitudes must rapidly shift from armaments delivered by our PTSD-prone soldiers to development spurred by grassroots developers.
A robust American World Service Corps, fielding 21 million AWSC volunteers over 27 years through already well established do-good organizations, could inspire other nations to do the same; which is a healthy way to shift from our overreliance on a military industrial estate to doing more of what Pope Francis urges us to do. Serve, build empathy, think, and vote appropriately.
Service works" and the admired White Knight pushes it
The Greatest Generation was great because such a high percentage of their generation served their fellow Americans and world citizens through national service. Shouldn't Americans take the following numbers and ask, "In today's conflicted and complicated world of eight billion, shouldn't a similar percentage of Americans be working to be great?"
Between 1941-1946, when our population was about 137 million, 16.1 million Americans served in our military, about 12% of our population.
Between 1935-1943, when our population was about 127 million, the Workers Progress Administration (WPA) provided 8 million jobs, about 6.3% of our population. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided more jobs with its 1.7 billion man hours of work, which I won't even include here.
Between 1935-1943, when our population was about 127 million, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided 3 million jobs, about 2.35% of our population.
Between 1941-1946, the female half of our population did national service as nurses as well as ship and tank builders, etc. Forty six percent of all women between 14 and 59, and 90% of all able-bodied single women between 18 and 40 were engaged in some form of work or National Service by September 1943, guesstimated at 12% of our population.
Crudely interpreting these rough statistics, about 32.65%+ of the Greatest Generation performed some form of national service. Does that stat accounts for much of their greatness?
Between 2000 - 2015, with our population at 320 million, 1.4 million Americans do active national service in our military, about 0.44% of our population. Does that stat accounts for much of our public policy ignorance and shallowness?
Most military leaders support establishing robust peaceful national service. Former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Anthony Zinni, when asked by Freedom Forums' Bob Aucone about the AWSC Proposal replied:
"Well, I think a national volunteer program would be fantastic. When I teach my college course, I see so many students that want to put something back, what to do something for the world. I think a national volunteer program should have everything in it. It should include the option of military service. It should include the option of other governmental service, serving internships with our state department or maybe the USA AID, which provides assistance out there, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and with non-governmental organizations, where there can be placement and recognition for time spent there.
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