Quote Originally Posted by icedog View Post
IPersonally I believe that a four year enlistment in the military before college would make for a better student.
I agree with a lot of what you say, but a 4 year stint in the army is a gigantic waste of time for people who don't actually plan to stay on afterwards.

Not only does the pay suck for regular enlisted soldiers (at least it did here) but there is a significant amount of people that just don't fit into the rigid military hierarchy. Forcing them into that structure for 4 years would probably do more damage than good to their long term productivity, creativity and career advancement, with no benefit.

Also, you cannot just quit studying for 4 years and then jump back in where you left off. You'd have forgotten so much that you essentially have to start over in whatever it is you want to do.

And from the other side, it would be very expensive to pay those people and make sure that they have supporting infrastructure (bases, vehicles, weapins, ...).
With 300 million Americans, lets say 4% is eligible for duty. That's 12 million soldiers you have to pay, feed, and house. And unless there is a shortage of soldiers, they won't be doing anything useful.