Reddit reviews AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country

Funny you should mention nursing. I'm in nursing school right now and I'd like to join the Army Nurse Corps after I graduate. I've never touched a gun, and I avoid violent movies. I would say that I'm nearly a pacifist, except that I believe the military has great potential to be a force for good in the world, and although I don't believe in just war, I acknowledge there are worse things than war. The reason why we fight wars (ostensibly) is to prevent these things from coming to fruition.

Politically, I'm a big critic of U.S. foreign policy and the military-industrial complex. I'd call myself a liberal except that I feel the term is too narrow. I'm by no means a traditional supporter of the military.

I want to join the military because my generation was called upon to serve. We weren't drafted, but I still feel a moral obligation to serve. I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were and are mistakes. However, you do the best you can with the circumstances you were given. If I was given an opportunity to serve, I'd take it. You only have one life to live.

On the question of killing, I realize that one of the main jobs of the military is to break things and kill people. I believe killing should be avoided, but not at all costs. There are things worse than death.

Have you ever been robbed? If you've ever been taken advantage of through violence or the threat of violence, you know that killing a human being is absolutely a viable solution when the lives of you and your loved ones are at stake.

I am a trained martial artist, and I strive towards inner peace and balance in all things. The purpose of martial arts, just like the purpose of the military, is not to kill or harm others. It is to hone oneself so that one is ready to do what is right when the time comes. A sword is just a piece of metal. It has no morality of its own. However, I believe it is possible to use that sword to protect and defend the weak and innocent.

The same thing applies to nursing. A scalpel or needle can be used to injure, or it can be used to heal. It may hurt, but if you don't use it, far worse things can happen.

This is a book that describes why more people from different walks of life should join the military. I come from a working class family, and the way the upper classes have used their privilege to avoid military service while at the same time they command and profit from the wars is infuriating. It would make me even more proud to serve, knowing that spoiled rich kids don't have to and don't want to. I also want to increase representation of all the minority groups I'm a member of--atheist, Asian American, etc.

AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country
http://www.amazon.com/AWOL-Unexcused-Absence-Americas-Military/dp/0060888598