Battlefield Korea

A Message of Hope

The two previous days had been a whirlwind of activity, both in the US and abroad. The President had announced the arrest of four congressional members the previous week, and dozens of government officials and military members. The case had been clearly laid out as to how these defectors had been leaking classified intelligence to the media and to America’s enemies, and how those leaks had resulted in lives lost. These revelations had rocked the public’s trust in the government and the media, leading to hundreds of protests and rallies across the country.

In the Ukraine, the US-led NATO Force had been cut off and surrounded in Kiev. A large contingent of US and NATO Forces were marshaling to attempt to break them out, but that offensive had not started yet. Meanwhile, continued live footage of the house-to-house fighting in the suburbs of Kiev was emotionally numbing for those who tuned in on social media to watch as the city was being torn apart.

Once the Chinese launched their surprise invasion of Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, things at home and abroad were starting to spiral out of control. The President knew he needed to calm the nerves of both his allies and citizens and take control of the situation before defeat set in.

As it turned out, not all of those who were leaking information to the media from the White House had been identified. News started to leak out of the President’s desire to draft a new army, which sent the media into a complete frenzy. In response, the White House announced an upcoming presidential address to the nation that would air at 10am eastern time on Saturday, and they requested that all of the major networks air the broadcast.

As President Gates began to get ready to give what would perhaps be his biggest speech yet, he knew he needed to accomplish two things. First, he needed to reassure the American people that America was not defeated, that the United States could win this war with Russia and defend its allies. Second, he needed to send a message to China, North Korea, and Iran that the US would defend their allies and was building a military force sufficient to do just that.

The makeup artist finished the final touches on the President’s face, and then ran to the side just as the lights turned on. The camera light turned red, indicating that the message was now broadcasting live to the country and the world.

“My fellow Americans, I come to you today with a heavy heart and a message of hope. During the last several weeks, America and our allies in NATO were savagely attacked by the Russian Federation while defending the freedom-loving people of Ukraine. During the lead-up to that dastardly attack, it was discovered that a number of high-ranking government officials (and even members of congress) were leaking classified intelligence to the media and our enemies with the express intent of hurting this administration and undermining the national security of our great nation for selfish political purposes.”

“I understand that many of you did not vote for me and disagree with my policies. We can agree to disagree on issues, that’s what Democracy is all about. Our country however, is at war. A war that was not of our choosing and thrusted upon us. A war that we did not start, but will finish.” He paused for a minute, looking down and then back at the camera.

“Let’s set the record straight. There is no argument over what would be the desirable choice between peace and war, but there is only one guaranteed way you can have instantaneous peace-surrender. Admittedly, there is a risk in any other course we would follow, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement. If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, then eventually we have to face the final demand, the ultimatum. And what then?”

The President again paused, giving the audience time to think before continuing, “Petrov and Xi have undoubtedly told their people that they know what our answer will be. They are likely having conversations in smoke-filled rooms right now, saying that we are retreating under the pressure of this war and that one day when the final ultimatum is delivered, our surrender will be voluntary because we no longer have the stomach to fight on. They believe this because of the many voices they have heard in our media, pleading for peace at any price. Protestors are out in the streets saying, ‘Better Red than dead.” However, those voices don’t speak for the rest of us. You and I do not believe that peace is so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery.”

“Should Moses have told the children of Israel to continue to live under the oppression of the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the ‘shot heard around the world’? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn’t die in vain. Like these heroes before us, we must find the courage deep within our souls and stand up to our enemies; they must know that there are lines we are not willing to cross. There is a point beyond which they must not advance.”

“Winston Churchill said that the destiny of man is not measured by material computation, and that when great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits, not animals.[1] He told us that there is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which- whether we like it or not-spells duty. You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.”[2]

“Today, I am officially announcing the rebuilding of our armed forces and a retooling of our economy to provide the tools of war necessary to win. During a midnight session of both the Congress and the Senate, a nearly unanimous vote was held to reinstate the draft. I have that bill before me now, and I stand ready to sign it to initiate the draft which will begin today at 4pm, Eastern Standard Time. Despite the tens of thousands of young men and women who have volunteered to join the Armed Forces this past week, the military ranks need to grow immensely if we are to defeat the Russians and ensure the Chinese do not threaten our allies in the Pacific. It is for that reason that I am directing the Selective Service Board to draft five million men and women to serve in our Armed Forces during our country’s greatest hour of need.”

“Unlike the drafts of the past, women (who have continued to serve in more and more combat roles in the military, and served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan) will also be required to enroll in the selective service, effective immediately, just as all men reaching the age of 18 are required by law. The first draft that will be held today will draft the first one million men. Women under the age of twenty-six will have one month to register for the draft. There is no set criteria or quota for the number of women who can or will be drafted; they will be selected based on their birthday and year, just as the men are.”

“The selective service will hold a draft on the first Saturday of each month, drafting one million young men and women into the military. That number may be reduced, depending on the number of volunteers that willingly join the service prior to each draft date.” He paused for a second, feeling the weight of what he had just announced.

“It pains me that I have to be the first President since the Vietnam War to have to institute a draft for military service, but make no mistake, the world is at a turning point. The democracies of the world will either rise to the challenge of our age and defeat these autocratic dictatorships that threaten our survival, or we will collectively fail, falling prey to these violent regimes that threaten our values, freedoms, and very way of life.”

“We are not Republicans or Democrats; we are Americans. We must unite together as one people, under the cause of freedom, defend our country, and fight for the allies who are depending upon us. I ask for your prayers and the Lord’s guidance to help me make the right decisions and guide our nation through this perilous time. Thank you for your time today. God bless the United States of America and her people.” With that, the red light on the camera turned off and the transmission ended.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the speech ended. Several people in the room came up to the President to shake his hand and congratulate him on a rousing speech.

Secretly, the President thought to himself, “I just hope this draft will be enough and the Chinese will not seek a confrontation with the U.S. I’ve been pressing the Chinese ambassador hard lately to keep them from attacking any American allies, but I just don’t know how much good that is doing. The last time I spoke to President Xi, it did not go well…”