Reply #48: The draft was a HUGE part of it

[SoCalDem]

If a guy was drafted at 18, he was very unlikely to even HAVE a family.. After his time was up, he usually wanted NO PART of the military, so the "lifers" were automatically older and probably did have families.. The perks were to keep them IN..

After the draft ended, the military did nothing to really improve the "family attractiveness" of military life.. Lots of single Moms looked to the military too, because the jobs they could get on the "outside" had no benefits..

It's very complex, but the military has always pretended to be "family friendly", but the reality is this... They are family friendly to the higher ranks, but to the lower ranks, forget it..:(

They need the numbers and if the young ones with wives and kids struggle, so be it.. The military probably thinks that it will only make them work harder:(