I just concluded an interesting review of the discussion thread and it seems to boil down to several broad and not mutually exclusive categories: 1. "I don't wanna" and you can't make me 2. "I don't wanna fight your stinking war" and you can't make me 3. "I already pay taxes darnit" and you can't make me do anything else 4. and then a vague NIMBY vibe also, and more helpful and practical in my view: 5. what in the world would they do? 6. what would it cost? 7. what other workers would they displace? and, to the core of the question 8. should we require Americans, who are citizens by right of birth or naturalization, who pay taxes to support national and local government and services, to give something more? To rub shoulders with their peers in pursuit of a common goal, not necessarily a military goal (which is the part of the original question which has been most conveniently overlook in this thread)? To define being American as more than just the commonality of the "high school experience" capped off with the Prom? Do we need to teach our children to be demonstrably and actively a part of their communities which in turn make up the greater community of our nation? My answer is yes. We take too much for granted. It is always: "they" will do it. It is up to "them." You don't teach a child to expect great things of themselves by expecting nothing of them in return. Decide to teach our children the meaning of purposeful self sacrifice and service in support and pursuit of something greater than themselves and they and our country will benefit from their efforts and from the efforts of the enlightened adults they will become. The rest is just details. What, how much, where, military versus civil service. Those are just the details. Of course, the Devil is always in the details. But the decision to do something great, together, is the single most important detail of all.