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I posted my Story "It Takes a Village" on Fictionmania recently and I received the following comments from a reader, Eva:
Reviewed by Eva Davydova on 02/13/2023
Hello. I am Eva. I am a trans girl from Russia. What happened to my country is just terrible. Putin is the devil. Even I received a summons, although I have been living as a girl since the age of 18 and I have a husband. The main rule is not to live where it is registered and not to come on call. More men were taken from small settlements than from large cities, women hid their men. Small nations suffered greatly. Except for the Chechens. They are used as guards. My husband was not taken away, he is an IT specialist, although I was very afraid. I even made a caption about this. As for the small peoples, they do not want to secede. The entire identity of the peoples was destroyed by the years of the Soviet Union. I believe that my country will be free and human rights will be respected.
I was touched by this and posted a message of my support, but today she posted again:
Reviewed by Eva Davydova on 02/17/2023
There are rumors that mobilization will begin again in the near future. And my man and I don't know. Stay or run. In general, if everything was normal, then there was a plan to go to Europe, get married officially, possibly hold a wedding in a church. But now all plans have collapsed, unfortunately, I don't know what to do...
I feel her desperation. She and her husband both face conscription, and given their situation I suspect that they will be top of the list.
What can she do?
Maryanne
Comments
Oh No
Tell Her For Me That We Are Rooting For Her & Hope She Is Safe
Indifference
Indifference is the name of the disease.
Patriotic Chore
Putin is the devil. But he's not the first or only devil.
I was faced with a similar decision fifty years ago. Then I had an incredible piece of luck. I severely damaged my back and went through weeks of therapy. I loved traction because it was the only time I got decent sleep.
My number in the draft lottery was 77. When I was called I reported for my physical. The person next to me looked like a poster child for rickets. My back doctor had sent a letter describing my injury. Mr. Rickets passed. I did not.
A good friend died in Vietnam. He was given the Medal of Honor posthumously. Several other friends came back from Vietnam in bad shape mentally. Two of my friends went on to become Generals. One retired as a four star general. He still advocates war as a remedy. . .pushing for a military solution in Iran.
Some thoughts I've taken away:
All wars are unjust. Some, like Putin's are worse than others.
If fear of death is your primary motivation to avoid service you're kidding yourself. Death is inevitable. Living life as a coward is a much more painful way to go.
Freedom is very much worth defending. War is seldom about defending freedom. Autocrats ascend into power in many ways, As stated above, indifference is normally a prime factor.
I had a lot of friends who served and a lot who made other choices. Those who made other choices were sometimes braver than those who served. Those who served sometimes did so out of a lack of courage. Some who served did so out of love of country and a keen sense of duty. That was seldom the case when they were drafted.
Those who are drafted and serve are generally poor, minority, uninformed, and terrified. Many had been given the decision of jail time or service by judges when they committed felonies.
What went on in Vietnam was an atrocity. What is happening in Ukraine is an atrocity. It appears the world has advanced very little in preventing military industrial complexes from creating profitable mayhem.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Slightly different circumstances, some same conclusions
My draft lottery number was 360. I learned this right after I finished Marine Corps boot camp. Oops. The majority of people in the Corps at that time had some or all their university education. Several had masters or PhD degrees.
One high school and college classmate actually outsmarted the test to join the service and was exempt. He dropped out a prestigious law school to become a rock musician only to die in an automobile accident within a few years. A frat brother failed the physical due to high blood pressure. It killed him a couple of years later. I know people who avoided the draft through alternative service and medical chicanery. I even had an acquaintance who deserted to Canada. I went. It was a path of least resistance that was honorable at the same time.
I had no urge to die (still don't), but even greater, I have absolutely no need to kill. I was met by many people in the Corps who were of the same like mind. It was job and a good one. Very little political games and you can accept as much responsibility as you are able. It is said that if you need anything, the Corps will give it to you. I have no brothers but the day I was drafted at the induction center I got one. For the time I was in we went to the same units, made the same rank, and had each others back. It is no surprise that we would get together every year for the next 45 until he expired.
We all knew the Vietnam war was being managed poorly. What the Russian army is doing in Ukraine is ghastly. What Putin is doing to Russia is setting a whole new level of callous indifference. He is even giving "cannon fodder" a bad (worse) name.
Ron Houston
Just wanted to make sure you understood that it was the drafted servicemen who tended to be uneducated minorities who had few choices.
Many served who were high principled and did it for their right reasons.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
As Winston Churchill said...
we need less war war and more jaw jaw. It is probably the only thing he said that I agreed with.
I think Eva and her man need to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. She needs to head for somewhere like Holland or Spain where they have more relaxed gender laws. Good luck to them, they will need it.
Angharad
Drafted servicemen
I was drafted in Nov. 1968 and served. I was not then (and am not now) "poor, minority, uninformed, and terrified." My father offered to support me until I could find a job if I wanted to flee to Canada. I decided that this was my country and I wouldn't be driven away.
The draft lottery did not start until I was already serving. Nevertheless, when birth dates were drawn, I had a fairly low number.
I was fortunate. In its infinite wisdom, the Army sent me to Germany for the nineteen months remaining after my training. I am not sorry that I served, but I would have been happy not to have had to.