English author George Orwell is said to have written, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Are Americans who sleep peaceably afraid of those “rough men” who protect them? Let’s look at two cases.  

First, scholars are warning of a civil-military gap within the United States. They say that members of the all-volunteer force tend to see themselves as part of a an elite group different from the average civilian hedonist. Thomas Ricks wrote in Making the Corps how various members of a group of 63 Marine recruits found themselves alienated from their former peers. The recruits who made it through boot camp had cloaked themselves in honor, courage, and commitment, and couldn’t understand why others refused to don the cloak. Ricks' book implies that such a military cultural ethos is somehow dangerous to America, and some purveyors of populism have expressed concern.

Our warriors of all military services are doing a magnificent job in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have earned the right to view themselves as a cut above other Americans. How many other Americans start each day with thoughts of ending prematurely because of an improvised explosive device, a sniper’s bullet, or an ambush with deadly weapons? How many other Americans are facing another deployment instead of planning for the next tailgate party? Tell me who the elites in this country should be, those who want more today, or those who want to live through today?

Meanwhile, the Marines are now drawing flak from another quarter. A provision in the 2009 Defense Authorization Act directs the Defense Department to partner with school systems that serve at-risk students. Such programs would give high-school kids who are capable graduating -- and who want to graduate -- a chance to do it. The program does not portend an out-of-the-blue attempt to militarize America’s schools. It only adapts the concept of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs.

Under the new program, teachers with master’s degrees in their fields will remain with their students for all four high-school years. Instead of turning the kids loose for idle pursuits on summer vacation, the schools will allow only periodic, short breaks. If this is militarism, and it will salvage talented kids, let’s go for it. 

 If some have their way in greater Atlanta, Ga., however, it won’t happen in DeKalb County. A Marine institute has been proposed to give talented, at-risk students their chances for success. We’re not talking of a Marine air-ground team assaulting DeKalb County. We’re just talking of a similar venture to one that has already started in Chicago, although it is not a mirror image. Just the same, some of DeKalb’s residents are protesting.

 For example, Tim Frazen, who works with the Quaker-run American Friends Service Committee, is quoted by Military.com as saying, “ . . . we may be on the verge of the military trying to bail out schools from their discipline problems. If this succeeds, they will open others. I can see it spreading like wildfire.”

 Well, if it works, it should spread.

 Grace Hawkins, of the Atlanta Grandmothers for Peace and the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, told Military.com, “We are opposed to recruiting children into the military this way at such early ages. This is the trend: Giving out free violent video games, inviting them to come and fire weapons to get them used to the idea of shooting. Thinking that nothing bad will happen.”

 It makes one wonder about drive-by shootings during summer vacations. It makes one ask what’s better for those kids -- gangs, or a disciplined learning environment.

 Dana Tofig from the Georgia Department of Education simply compares the proposed institute to a magnet or charter school with a military theme. She doesn’t sound like a military martinet when she says: “We have received some e-mails in our office from concerned parents. We feel like it’s good to have the debate and have it publicly. As long as students have the choice to attend and the school follows state and federal law, we don’t see a problem.”

 Despite the protests, the school board has chosen a temporary site for the new institute and hired a principal. It looks like the Marines will land in peace as soon as approval comes from Acting Secretary of the Navy, B.J. Penn.

 I say the sooner, the better, so those kids in DeKalb County will have their chance to get their high school diplomas. Maybe someday one of them will be a U.S. cabinet secretary, or chief of staff of the armed forces, or even president of the United States. And people can sleep peaceably in their beds at night.

 This article may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to Crosshairs - Military Matters in Review by Fred Edwards. Visit http://www.milmat.net for more Crosshairs.