The longest war

Regarding “Trump gives Mattis power to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan” (Chron.com, Wednesday), what a difference having an all-volunteer fighting force makes. The decision on how to continue to prosecute the longest war in U.S. history has been delegated by the president to a subordinate. It is an issue of little interest to the general public, because they have no skin in the game.

Imagine, however, if young men (and women) were being drafted to go to fight in Afghanistan. This decision on whether to withdraw or reinforce would be vital to the many, not the few, likely with anti-draft demonstrations in most major U.S. cities and a robust political discussion.

Sending the same soldiers and Marines for multiple tours while the vast majority will never go? It’s only a problem if you are part of the 1 percent of the citizenry who are sent into harm’s way.

Stephen Powe, Houston