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February 08, 2009
America's Last Draftee: "I'm a Relic"
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America's generals love to brag about their all-volunteer Army. That's because they tend to overlook Jeffrey Mellinger. He donned his Army uniform for the first time on April 18, 1972, about the time the Nixon Administration was seeking "peace with honor" in Vietnam and The Godfather was opening on the silver screen. Nearly 37 years later, he's still wearing Army green. Mellinger is, by all accounts, the last active-duty draftee serving in the U.S. Army.
"I'm a relic," Mellinger concedes with a self-deprecating laugh. But the last of the nearly 2 million men ordered to serve in the Vietnam-era military before conscription ended in 1973 still impresses 19-year-old soldiers. "Most of them are surprised I'm still breathing, because in their minds I'm older than dirt," the fit 55-year-old says. "But they're even more surprised when they find out this dinosaur can still move around pretty darn quick."
Mellinger was working as a 19-year-old drywall hanger in Eugene, Oregon, when he came home to find a draft notice waiting for him.
"I went down to the draft board and asked them if this was really serious," he recalls, "or if it was like an invitation." But it was an order, the first of many Mellinger would obey. He started his military career as a clerk in what was then called West Germany, and was looking forward hanging up his uniform after two years of service. "I was dead-set on getting out," he says. "We had a lot of racial problems, drug problems, leadership problems." But his company commander talked him into re-enlisting. The lure: the chance to join the Rangers, the elite warrior corps that Mellinger came to love (his 3,700 parachute jumps add up to more than 33 hours in freefall). Re-enlisting "was the best decision of my career," Mellinger says.
The Army sent him all over the world, including tours in Japan and Iraq. General David Petraeus, who served as Mellinger's boss during the draftee's final three months in Iraq in 2007, calls him "a national asset" who kept the top generals' aware of the peaks and valleys in battlefield morale.
"We lost count of how many times his personal convoy was hit," Petraeus says. "Yet he never stopped driving the roads, walking patrols, and going on missions with our troopers." (Mellinger's 33-month Iraq tour was punctuated by 27 roadside bombings, including two that destroyed his vehicle, although he managed to escape injury.) Mellinger now serves as the Command Sergeant Major, the senior enlisted man in the Virginia headquarters of the Army Materiel Command, trying to shrink what he calls the "flash-to-bang time" between recognizing what soldiers need and getting it to them.
The son of a Marine, Mellinger had been turned down by both the Marines and the Army when he sought to enlist. "I was not a perfect child," he says. He finds it strange that the compulsory military that launched his career no longer exists, but says the Army is better for it. "You get people who want to do this work," he says of today's nearly-all volunteer force. "If you had a draft at any other business in the world, you'd get people who maybe weren't suited to be accountants or drivers or mathematicians."
He doesn't have much patience for those, like Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who want to bring back the draft. to ensure that war's burdens are equally shared. "We're doing just fine, thank you, with the all-volunteer force," Mellinger says. "Until the time comes that we're in danger of losing our capabilities to do our missions, then we ought to stick with what we have — there is no need for the draft."
Like many veterans of the Vietnam-era Army, he bridles at suggestions that the draftee force was riddled with misfits and druggies.
"We didn't run off to Canada," he says, taking a swipe at those who avoided the draft by heading north. "While it makes great rhetoric to stand up and say 'We don't want a draft Army because the draft Army was bad,' the facts don't support it," Mellinger says. "Just because they didn't run down and sign up doesn't make them less deserving of respect for their contributions." There's a sensitivity evident in being viewed as less of a soldier for having been drafted. "I'm proud to be a soldier, and I'm proud to be a draftee," he says. "I took the same oath that every other enlistee who came in the Army — there wasn't a different one for draftees."
His proudest moments are watching those he trained climb the military hierarchy themselves. "I can think of several soldiers who went on to become command sergeants major who were privates when I was either their squad leader or their drill sergeant," Mellinger says. But such memories also trigger his lone regret. "I wish I were as smart as I thought I was when I was moving into those duty positions."
Mellinger has told his wife, Kim, that this is his final Army posting, meaning he's likely to retire sometime next year. The couple has no children, although Mellinger has three grown kids from a prior marriage. The last draftee then plans to move to Alaska, where he spent much of his career, and spend his days reading history and running with his two Dobermans. "When I tell my wife it's my last assignment, she just rolls her eyes," he concedes. "This is my sixth 'last assignment'."
Wild Thing's comment.........
Great story and I wanted to share it with all of you.
Thenk you so much Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger . God bless you!
Some additional information from ARMY.Mil.News
......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.
RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company
13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam
Posted by Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 05:55 AM
Comments
When he asked the draft board, 'is this an invitation...' what a hoot that must've been. Great story.
Posted by: Mark at February 8, 2009 07:31 AM
Some of the best soldiers I served with were draftees. A lot of them went on to become career soldiers.
There is both good and bad to a draft. Right now we are doing well without a draft, but it also means that most young American males have no thought of ever serving their country, even in time of need. The lack of a draft means only a few are bearing the brunt of the war. I think military pay should be double what it is now to compensate our warriors for a job well done.
Posted by: TomR at February 8, 2009 09:41 AM
He KNOWS where his duties lie and that makes all the difference. I'd rather be friends with him than a draft dodger any day or a President who knows nothing about the military!
Posted by: Lynn at February 8, 2009 09:53 AM
I miss your seasonal Christmassy PC Free Zone Gazette design already Wild Thing! The cat misses the Tannenbaum too, eh?
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at February 8, 2009 10:11 AM
The Vietnam war draft lotteries were used in the years 1969 through 1972, much different than previous years where we had no choice, only having your name called up, no less stressful but there was a lottery option to enlist too.
It sure wasn't that heartless bitch heading up my draft board back in '65, I'm sure she's serving Lucifer about now. Probably prodding draftees into the fires of Hades. But to ask if they were serious at the draft board, "or if it was like an invitation", that really is funny. I expected to be drafted but thought naively that I was getting too old to be drafted. Wrong, I was 1A after all. I came back from hauling a load of race horses into Calgary and had an envelope waiting in the mail,(that bitch had spies on the border too, I swear)I picked up my draft notice and never opened it, the First Sgt opened it for me after I was sworn in. It were real, miz Helen's name was on it too.
Little did I know at the time what was in store....:), I have the greatest respect for those draftees, most were top notch troops and a few exceeded their volunteer contemporaries, like Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger. My only real bitch was with McNamara's Project 100,000, the moron corps, Robert McNamara saddled some of us with much less than stellar performers. No room for day care centers in a battle zone. Well done and thank you Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger, I stand in Awe!!!
Posted by: Jack at February 8, 2009 01:20 PM
Great story about a great soldier...thanks Chrissie!!
Posted by: James M at February 8, 2009 05:44 PM
The nation is lucky to have people like Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger defending and protecting the Constitution, flag, and country. He may be the last relic of the military draft but not for long.
"In remarks that clearly pointed toward the restoration of the military draft under an Obama administration, the Democratic candidate said Thursday night that his job as president would include demanding that the American people recognize an “obligation” for military service."
“If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some,” Senator Barack Obama declared.
Obama Supports "National Service" [Military Draft?]
http://www.radicalleft.net/blog/_archives/2008/9/15/3885185.html
In addition, we may see a whole new and different draft when it comes to B. Hussein Obama's civilian national security force. Last July, Obama said.
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
What happens if Obama doesn't get enough volunteers to staff his civilian national security force to the same level as the military? He and the Democrats in control of Congress will institute a draft to implement the President's ("Community Organizer in Chief") dream of changing the country into a Socialist state by "turning America into one, giant, community organizer's sandbox at enormous cost to taxpayers."
Obama's Civilian National Security Force
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/obamas_civilian_national_secur.html
Obama Wants You
http://www.theschifferreport.com/images/Uncle-Obama.jpg
Posted by: Les at February 8, 2009 06:24 PM
Mark, I loved that and it had me laughing.Great interview.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:10 PM
Tom, I agree, I have always felt our military should be our countries top priorities and their pay should be much more, doubled yes absolutely and health care much better then it has been too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:14 PM
Lynn, me too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:16 PM
Darth, thanks for noticing, yes I changed it. I miss it too, my favorite season are the Christmas holidays.
giggle on this one I added Missy and Sebastian real photos and also added a TV and a photo on the side desk of Smokey bear with a gun for right to bear arms. heh heh
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:18 PM
Jack, thank you for sharing about that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:23 PM
James M., I liked it so much I was disappointed when the story ended. giggle
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:25 PM
Les, thank you for all of that. information and links.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 8, 2009 07:28 PM
Again, our military members never cease to amaze me.
Posted by: yankeemom at February 9, 2009 07:28 AM
Yankeemom, me too, I read about them and sit here and am filled with such huge pride in what awesome people they are. And I am so grateful.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 9, 2009 12:28 PM
