If you go and talk to most Americans over the age of 65 and ask what is one flaw they see in the current generations, quite a few will the note the decay of the character and moral fiber of Americans. They will note the loss of self-pride and patriotism. A common problem people today lament about is the state of the economy. There is a division as to how to fix this economy. Democrats and most liberals believe in pumping the economy full of money as a jump-start while Republicans and conservatives believe in reducing the cost to the rich and cause a trickle down of wealth. I will not say if either is right but a common solution is one which most people would argue with. That solution in my mind, which also can solve the problem of loss of American character, is mandatory military service. I would suggest a short period of mandatory military service for every American between the age of 18 and 30 for a period of roughly 12-18 months. Basic training and service only would suffice. This solution would pump money back into the economy through the salary paying of Americans, as well as increase military awareness and American patriotism. Every American would learn discipline few have the opportunity for and the military would also be able to teach every American at least one trade which they can use throughout their life. It would create a healthier, more aware generation. Perhaps the issue of gun control might even become moot due to every American being aware of the safety and upkeep of firearms and the consequences of owning such firearms. And when the nation comes under attack, we have an entire nation of semi-trained soldiers standing by. Think of the implications of having a nation with nearly 100 million persons receiving some type of military training. It would create a valid argument against attacking what is already considered the greatest army on Earth. With the new-found discipline and patriotism, Americans would thrive in the global markets. So lets start the training.
Read this and hack! 
I think mandatory military education would be beneficial, but not necessarily mandatory service. Make people aware and disciplined, yes. Force them overseas, not so much.
I find this to be a bit ridiculous and do not see the benefits (which I find are limited to begin with) outweighing the negatives. 12-18 months is essentially a prison sentence, and doesn’t allow for anyone to perfect their craft. Giving up over a year of time to military service gives up a year of development in any career field. Additionally, I find people would end up hating our country. I mean, did you see how many people used to complain about mandatory gym in high school? This is just 20x worse and 20x more serious. I would see a decline in genuine patriotism as a result of this, and there would only be forced patriotism, which is different in my mind.
We don’t all owe our nation something?
Paying people to be soldiers or pumping money into the economy, either way the government is spending money it doesn’t have
Wow. Expensive. The Viet Nam war experience I think still colors military policy in this country- the military never wanted to go back to a conscripted army…
Plus, to me, we are about wars like we are food… we don’t want to pay. We think the USA should have this huge global military footprint as long as “my kids” don’t have to fight. We want to eat whatever we gnat and never get fat.
How about a national service commitment that could be fulfilled through military, foreign peaceful, or domestic service? Expensive too, but it may instill some of the same patriotism you are seeking and have more positive benefits here. We don’t really need more military spending (to me).
I knew people would have strong opinions, I guess I was right. I never intended for the mandatory service to include being shipped overseas to the battlefront. That would be best left to volunteers and those who pursue the military as a career. As to the mentality of Americans, perhaps that is exactly the type of thinking we need to change. In the case of money we don;t have, we are already spending it, at least in this way it benefits Americans directly or they can see the direct results of that spending. I guess I wasn’t able to fully explain my thinking. I was envisioning more of a National Guard type of service. It is more educational than military duty. The only reason it has to be dubbed military service is in that it would occur within the military. My fault for not explaining it better.