If war broke out tomorrow....

[Weltall]

Most of them would. Most people, even noncoms, understood that if we didn't fight then, fighting would eventually come to us, and destroy America the way Europe was destroyed. Many were afraid, and certainly there were some who wished the task never fell to them, but they weren't cowards like many are today.

We're lucky our grandfathers were brave men, but we should also be lucky that most everyone else was also brave and strong. We didn't have people subverting the war effort, calling their own troops murderers and killers, and staging demonstrations to lower our own morale. Americans then, by and large, were courageous people. Certainly, many probably did not want to go fight in the 40's, and many would never outright volunteer, but those who were conscripted knew that the stakes were high and their duty was to fight for their country. And this was before we knew the true depths of horror Germany and Japan were capable of.

Unfortunately, the boom and prosperity that followed WWII created a generation of whiny losers who hated the country they lived in and had no problem letting everyone know. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of that today yet, even if those people today are a bit more subtle about it.

I would not volunteer for combat because I feel that I would be a liability. Being a soldier means you are responsible for the lives of your comrades, and I would be afraid of becoming a liability to them. However, if drafted, I would have no complaints about it. I enjoy the freedoms of America and if I were to dodge the draft, I would be a coward and I wouldn't deserve the right and privelege to live here. If it came to the point where I had to fight for America, I would do so without any regrets, save for one: I'd be putting my life on the line for a lot of people, and some of them don't deserve it.