Soft-country triumphalism from Armageddon (page 498):
General Erich von Straube, after signing the surrender of his forces in Holland to First Canadian Army, was being escorted back to the German lines by Brigadier James Roberts. After driving for some twenty minutes in silence, von Straube's aide tapped Roberts on the shoulder and said that his commander wished to know what the brigadier had done before the war: "Were you a professional soldier?" Roberts was momentarily bemused by the question. He had indeed been a solider for so long that his other life seemed impossibly remote. Then he realized that the German was seeking some crumb of solace for his defeat. He answered von Straube: "No, I wasn't a regular soldier. Very few Canadians were. In civilian life I made ice cream."Posted by Ben Brumfield at May 11, 2006 10:42 AM
"Soft country"? Not in the least. Have you seen the kind of arm muscles people develop who spend their days scooping frozen ice cream? Back in that day he probably hand-cranked the freezers too.
BTW, I suppose a U.S. officer of that rank now would in fact be quite likely to have come up as a professional soldier. Sad to think we are joining the German pattern.
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at May 11, 2006 07:08 PMBTW, I suppose a U.S. officer of that rank now would in fact be quite likely to have come up as a professional soldier. Sad to think we are joining the German pattern.
Huh? Sad that we don't have an universal draft in place?
Posted by: Alan Allport at May 12, 2006 04:29 AMSad that we enter wars that the voting public does not support to the extent of authorizing a universal draft and a genuinely shared war effort, yes.
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at May 12, 2006 11:45 AMOf course, that would also rule out the American Revolution, fought largely by an underpaid professional army composed of rural youths and free blacks with few economic prospects.
Posted by: Ben Brumfield at May 12, 2006 11:49 AMSad that we enter wars that the voting public does not support to the extent of authorizing a universal draft and a genuinely shared war effort, yes.
Yes, I can see the Left jumping through hoops with excitement at the prospect of peremptory military conscription every time the US faces a diplomatic crisis.
Posted by: Alan Allport at May 12, 2006 05:52 PMAlan, old friend, surely by now you know the difference between little old me and The Left in its assembled magnificence, hoopified or otherwise. I assure you I'm speaking only for myself. But I don't think I'm entirely alone in thinking that we shouldn't fight a war unless it's so obviously important to do so that a draft is the natural and necessary response.
Yes, perhaps I might have thought differently at a time in the American past when we had better taste in wars. Well, maybe so. We have terrible taste in wars at present.
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at May 13, 2006 05:58 PMBut I don't think I'm entirely alone in thinking that we shouldn't fight a war unless it's so obviously important to do so that a draft is the natural and necessary response.
Surely that isn't right for the simple reason that a draft would be an unnecessary and impractical response to many, indeed most, of the warlike situations America might find herself in, however 'just' the causes. You don't behave as if it's WWII if all you need to do is invade Grenada.
Posted by: Alan Allport at May 13, 2006 07:22 PM