Some men rose above their backgrounds, others were betrayed by them. Admittedly, the prospect of universal military service today would be greeted by the same opposition it drew in Harry Truman's day. But there is precedent for viewing the armed forces as a vehicle for social policy. During the 1960s, Daniel Patrick Moynihan proposed using the military as a kind of jobs program for black recruits. It would be foolish to expect miracles from universal military service.
Blacks form far less of the officers' corps than the enlisted ranks.
The recent rape scandal at a Maryland naval base demonstrates the continuing resistance to women in uniform. It may not even be fiscally practicable to enlarge the armed forces. There is, after all, no convenient Soviet enemy to cite as justification. At a selfish time in a conservative country, the best social worker around just might be a drill sergeant. He is a regular contributor to Salon.