While awaiting the next terrorist attack or natural disaster, the United States should initiate a period of mandatory national service. Many leaders say we live in a world where no one is safe, but most Americans are going their merry ways as though no threat exists. The concept that we are all in this together has not materialized as it did in World War II. A period of national service, as distinguished from a military draft, should be initiated now.

Besides uniting Americans as never before, national service would be a giant step toward correcting America's dirty little secret that was exposed when Hurricane Katrina uprooted thousands of New Orleans residents living in squalid poverty. Their misery was televised worldwide, much to the dismay of other nations. Besides New Orleans, the television host, Oprah Winfrey, found grim poverty only 70 miles from her Chicago studio. A period of national service would spring thousands of young Americans from poverty by giving them opportunities outside the ghettos.

Compulsory national service is not a new idea. Still, essentially without exception, elected officials are afraid to propose such a politically sensitive issue because it smacks of a military draft. This is not a valid concern; most participants in national service would not be trained to fight.

All high school graduates would serve their country for, say, two years. Some would, indeed, want to carry rifles. This is hardly unprecedented; Americans have eagerly fought for freedom throughout history. Most young people, however, could work in hospitals or day care centers, guard our rail lines and transit systems, patrol our borders, monitor our seaports, guard power and chemical plants, help preserve national forests and waterways, or assist local, state and federal agencies that serve the nation's needs. If labor shortages developed in a given industry or geographical area, some young people could work in essential private industries. Conscientious objectors could serve in non-combat roles. The handicapped could use their national service learning to handle their disabilities.

Again, the plan would enable the underprivileged to break out of ghettos and poverty-stricken areas, giving all young people an equal start. In effect, it would be like extending high school for another two years. It would be an opportunity, not a sacrifice. With well-organized young people, the program might even provide a way to tackle such problems as obesity, smoking and illicit drug use.

Military and intelligence authorities say the present war against terrorists is unlike any other in human history - no battle lines, no obvious targets. We aren't sure whom we're fighting. We are only told that the next terrorist attack may be against a national landmark, a vital industry or a down-home neighborhood. We're told that such an attack is a certainty. We can do nothing to stop it, but we can be ready for it.

In the 2001-2002 school year, more than 2.5 million students were graduated from the nation's high schools. This is a manageable number. In the World War II years of 1942 and 1943 more than 6.3 million recruits were inducted into the U.S. Military. These figures prove that the country is capable of training an enormous influx of potential talent. This reservoir of disciplined youngsters could be spread throughout the nation, poised to deal with any attack or disaster. Some could be dispatched to other lands, schooled in local languages and customs. They could be teachers and advisers, befriending overseas populations.

Under this plan, all high school graduates would go through a few weeks of "basic training" to establish discipline akin to that associated with the military. Afterwards, these trainees would fan out throughout the nation to undertake a wide variety of activities, and some undoubtedly would select combat training. Most would not. For example, many high school graduates emerge with two or three years of foreign language study. Under the discipline of national service, these youngsters could study their foreign languages more intensely, quickly becoming fluent. They then could be dispatched to other lands where translators are sorely needed. The president stated recently that the United States lags behind other nations in math and science. Under national service, kids who excelled in high school sciences could be given concentrated courses to prepare them to serve in government laboratories and eventually in scientific industries. Some educators say many high school graduates are not really ready for college or careers. A two-year break would be a chance to mature.

Organizing national service would be difficult. But surely the United States has enough brainpower in its colleges and universities to administer such a program, just as the military has done in the past wars. Again, mandatory national service has worked in other nations, so why no the United States?

Would everyone embrace compulsory national service enthusiastically, or even willingly? Of course not. Some lawmakers would dissent. Some young people would rebel. National service would require the kind of leadership President John F. Kennedy exercised when he established the Peace Corps.

Fifty-one nations have drafts, and Israel's is toughest. Its men and women are subject to the draft at age 18. Men serve three years; women two years. Israelis then do one month of service per year until age 54. If other nations can do it, so can the U.S.

A problem with past military drafts was that some individuals had enough clout to get deferments. Especially in the Vietnam War, many privileged persons stayed home while the underprivileged went into combat. That's why a period of national service must be universal - no exemptions for the sons and daughters of the well-connected. Everyone must go. It's likely that a "band-wagon" effect could prevail; youngsters might want to go because it's "the thing to do."

A two-year period of national service would, of course, be expensive, but not as costly as war. We're told that the wars in for Afghanistan and Iraq, plus the Pentagon budget, amount to trillions of dollars, a sum beyond the comprehension of most Americans. So think of it this way: The U.S. is the most heavily indebted nation in the world, and much of this money is owed to China. If universal national service were adopted, some of this money might be recouped in the form of tangible benefits to the country.

When the U.S. draft was initiated on Oct. 29, 1940, more than a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the nation was woefully unprepared. Early recruits trained with broomsticks because they had no rifles. Civilian vehicles wore signs saying "tank" because the army had too few real tanks. A period of universal national service now would guarantee that we'll never be that unprepared again.

A two-year break after high school is valuable, even without a crisis. This was proved after World War II when ex-servicemen and women invaded colleges to study under the GI Bill. These veterans were far more mature than kids fresh out of high school, and they excelled in earning degrees and launching careers. Something akin to the GI Bill should be recreated. IT is said to have produced America's most highly educated generation, and the payoff was an informed citizenry. So a period of universal national service would benefit individuals and the nation.
As President Kennedy put it " ...ask what you can do for your country." Now is the time to do it. CV

As he now proposes for today's youth, Walt Shotwell worked for two years after high school during the Great Depression to earn money for college. But World War II broke out, so Shotwell worked in a defense plant before joining the Army Air Corps. In the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron he flew 486 combat missions over Japanese-occupied Burma, then nine more missions over "The Hump" into China. He accumulated three bronze battle stars, five Air Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. After the war, he flew for five years with the Iowa Air National Guard and was recalled into the Air Force during the Korean War. Shotwell attended Drake University, became a radio newscaster, then a Des Moines Register reporter and spent several years in political advertising, eventually returning to, and retiring from, The Register in 1991.

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