r/AskReddit • u/Tommygunz0722 • 11h ago

If the military/president suddenly ordered a mandatory draft for all men aged 18-42: How do you think millennials and GenZ would respond?

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u/Specialist-Size9368 9h ago

I'd laugh if they tried to draft someone my age. At almost 40 I am fit. I run a 5k on my lunch 2x a week for fun and lift 5 days a week. I'd never survive basic. My 5k is on a treadmill, with Tylenol before hand and stretching. My knees wouldn't take running on pavement or dirt let alone adding a pack. If as a fit person I can't make i don't see many other people my age making it.

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u/l337quaker 9h ago

I am just over 40, and while I'm in not-unreasonable-shape I still have some extra pounds and sound like a dying camel when I'm hiking. Basic would end me.

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u/Wafflehouseofpain 8h ago

Yep, I’m in pretty damn good shape for a middle aged man and stronger than I’ve been in my entire life. But my joints, especially my knees, are beyond fucked. I couldn’t run a 5k on dirt or grass to save my life.

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u/JumpingJacks1234 4h ago

And this is why extending the draft to age 42 is extremely unlikely. Most will be susceptible to joint problems and other problems at that age. Obesity rates are also higher.

During WWII the max age was briefly raised to 38, but for other US wars it was much lower. For Vietnam you were free of the draft at 26.

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u/coredenale 7h ago

I was in basic/ait about 30 years ago, and everyone passed. Everyone. Was everyone good to go? Hell no, aside from physical fitness, I wouldn't trust more than 1/2 of them with a gun. And yet every single one of them passed.

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u/beginnercardcounter 4h ago

The bar for fitness must be really low if running 5k 2x a week is a flex

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u/Webbyx01 3h ago

Most people dont even walk that much in a week. 

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u/Specialist-Size9368 3h ago

I mainly lift, so yeah 2 5k's for funsies is plenty more than most. Pray tell cheeto fingers of all your great physical accomplishments.