You're welcome Paul. The old Army didn't pay well, especially for being in harms way. For me, even as a draftee, it was oddly satisfying. As you point out, it invoked a strong sense of "common purpose".

I trained in the South before going over with a mix of educated and uneducated black and white men. We had a sense of common purpose with little social or racial tension . Military service was, for many of us, a right of passage as well as a coming together.

Although some deem it a socialistic endeavor, the Civilian Conservation Corps put 3 million men to work over 10 years with a common purpose. The CCC left a legacy of durable roads, bridges, and buildings across our country. I'd like to see it back.