Even though military service is a civic obligation in many other countries (including South Korea, Israel, and Brazil), it is not a requirement in the United States. Like some of my peers, I see it as a career path that allows individuals to fight for and protect our country. I personally would not want to participate in the military, since I am not as fit or athletic as I hope to be so my efforts would be a waste. In my case, the costs would outweigh the benefits. Instead, I would like to serve my country in a different way by raising awareness for and fighting against the social and racial injustices in my community and nation. Through advocacy and volunteering, I want to help protect citizens’ rights and lift the voices of individuals, who have been silenced. 

In addition, I have obligations and responsibilities towards my family, which can mean helping them with daily tasks and protecting them from any danger or harm. I would serve and support my family both in times of peace and crisis, as we are very close with each other. If I am passionate towards or care about someone or something, I would be willing to take action to support and defend them.

I think everyone has a civic obligation to help their country in any way they can, but I do not think this necessarily means serving in the military. As other people said, military service is not a civic obligation in the United States, however there are different situations in which people are required to serve. Obviously if we were in a war or some other kind of national emergency where there was a draft, many people would be drafted to serve and protect the country. Although being a woman, I would probably be excluded from a draft, I think the idea that I serve in the military depends entirely on what is happening in the country and world. If there were a threat that impacted my community, family, or had a big impact on the whole country I would think about serving in the military in some capacity. As other people have mentioned, serving in the military is often more serving the government which I do not agree with, but if there were an imminent threat I would like to think that I would serve to protect the people of the country. 

This unique aspect of the United States then leads to the question of whether our citizens feel national pride or a sense of duty to their country. Nationalism, or patriotism, has long been an integral theme within America. In wars, this message is what drives many people to enlist within the army. This theme can also be adapted to encourage people to vote, and thus further the good of our country. However, in recent years, especially during the time period surrounding the 2020 election, national pride has become a somewhat controversial subject. Conservative-leaning US citizens tend to echo various traditionally nationalist sentiments, while accusing members of the other party (liberal-leaning citizens) for lacking patriotism and love for their country. In response, some liberal Americans state that they display patriotism by accepting the country’s flaws and contemplating on how they can be fixed. Nonetheless, national pride in the US is most certainly not what it used to be. 

Another issue regarding nationalism within the United States arose as a result of our country’s multi-ethnic population. In light of recent racial controversies, non-white American citizens have shared a message of feeling ‘not accepted’ within their country. This aspect of the US differs greatly from other areas of the world. Objectively, it’s much easier to create a national identity when the ethnical population of the country is homogenous. This is not the case in the US. 

On a personal level, I’m slightly conflicted regarding my view of America. Growing up in an immigrant family, there were various instances where I felt that people of my race were not being accepted nor treated on an equal ‘playing field’, so to speak. However, I do also recognize the opportunities and privileges of living in a free country such as the US. As I approach adulthood, I believe that I do feel a certain sense of national pride within my country. While it may not be to an extreme extent, I feel that my experiences within the country have solidified my willingness to undertake certain things for the benefit of other American citizens and the country as a whole. 

However, I’m definitely intimidated by the military and warfare.  I already know that the vast majority of veterans suffer PTSD of some kind and have to not only witness horrific trauma  but also bear a tremendous load on their shoulders if they do survive. The field is notorious for being a very uncomfortable space for women, LTBTQ+ folks, and people of color. Even if I am physically fit, these factors alone make me want to stay far, far away from the military. 

That being said, even though I know I won’t be that useful physically-wise, I do think I have other skills which I might have in the future that I could put to use (technology, medical), but again, all the dangers of warfare and death scare me a lot. I do feel like a lot of Americans around the country share the same sentiment of Rayna, that they’re more loyal to their hometown or state rather than the country. Jack’s assertion that serving actually means serving the US government and not protecting your country is really interesting. It’s really important to know why the US is fighting in the first. Is it because otherwise, every American will die? Or is it because of a cause that I personally disagree with? If it’s the latter, it’s much harder for me to justify serving the country.  

I personally wouldn’t go father than the bare minimum, especially in this day and age. I simply don’t agree with the direction that I believe the United States is heading towards, therefore I don’t find myself having a high sense of responsibility or moral obligation to the country. This is especially so when it comes to the military, where we seem to be involving ourselves in unnecessary wars and killing many innocents in the process. 

When it comes to my own community, I’m much more willing to take a few extra steps. I feel as though the ideas and opinions that my community believes in are not exactly on par with America’s as a whole. It most definitely takes its own side, but it’s a side that I find myself generally supporting. One of the biggest ways I can and have been doing is supporting my community through community service.

However, I still wonder what I’m able to do in the future for my community as an adult in terms of civic obligation. Because the U.S. has always focused on the idea of individuality and freedom over the obligation to others, many Americans are not committed to doing something for the “greater good” in preference for their personal choice. In terms of military service, I wouldn’t be able to handle the rigorous training and exercise that comes with being a soldier, but I would know to vote and offer service in other ways. Although I cannot legally vote yet, I am still aware of the amount of researching and educating oneself on the legal parties involved and what the candidates have to offer for the betterment of our country. As for jury duty, I would fully take responsibility on my part for contributing to an impartial verdict as someone’s life is on the line. However, I do understand the difficulties in being able to partake in the event someone gets called: I’ve noticed that Americans tend to be job-oriented so they see jury duty as something of a “waste of time” to some extent because they are obligated to go to a court that may be extremely far away and are suffering economically if they don’t have as forgiving or a high-paying job. Another perspective is that jury duty is something that we, citizens or not, have right to do that the government doesn’t have control over, the power to decide whether or not someone is guilty. 

As to what I would prioritize, I would care most for my family first and have the means to support them financially and emotionally. In regards to if something were to happen to the U.S., I would still offer my services in ways that wouldn’t pertain to the military, as I wouldn’t be able to contribute much in that area and I don’t think it’s as effective of providing service in comparison to volunteering, speaking out, voting, fundraising, and advocate for my community’s well being. Depending on the situation, and whether I have the means to exercise my civic obligation, I still hope to be able to use my voice by all means as a part of my civic responsibility. 

However, I still wonder what I’m able to do in the future for my community as an adult in terms of civic obligation. Because the U.S. has always focused on the idea of individuality and freedom over the obligation to others, many Americans are not committed to doing something for the “greater good” in preference for their personal choice. In terms of military service, I wouldn’t be able to handle the rigorous training and exercise that comes with being a soldier, but I would know to vote and offer service in other ways. Although I cannot legally vote yet, I am still aware of the amount of researching and educating oneself on the legal parties involved and what the candidates have to offer for the betterment of our country. As for jury duty, I would fully take responsibility on my part for contributing to an impartial verdict as someone’s life is on the line. However, I do understand the difficulties in being able to partake in the event someone gets called: I’ve noticed that Americans tend to be job-oriented so they see jury duty as something of a “waste of time” to some extent because they are obligated to go to a court that may be extremely far away and are suffering economically if they don’t have as forgiving or a high-paying job. Another perspective is that jury duty is something that we, citizens or not, have right to do that the government doesn’t have control over, the power to decide whether or not someone is guilty. 

As to what I would prioritize, I would care most for my family first and have the means to support them financially and emotionally. In regards to if something were to happen to the U.S., I would still offer my services in ways that wouldn’t pertain to the military, as I wouldn’t be able to contribute much in that area and I don’t think it’s as effective of providing service in comparison to volunteering, speaking out, voting, fundraising, and advocate for my community’s well being. Depending on the situation, and whether I have the means to exercise my civic obligation, I still hope to be able to use my voice by all means as a part of my civic responsibility. 

For me personally it really depends on the situation. If war started I’d want to save the people that I care about and if joining the milatary would be the best thing to do at that moment for everyone I’d definetely join. Although I’m against any kind of voilence I wouldn’t hesitate if my country was in danger. 

There are also other ways to serve like doing community service, donating money, going to shelters and helping with cleaning, taking care of the animals  that are living there, chatting with elders that don't have any family left and/or they just don't communicate with them (of course with the pandemic this is done way less).

All in all I just want to encourage everyone reading this to try at least once in a while to do some kind of community service. It really does make a differance.

Even though it seems less poverty, there are still people who are left in poverty in Japan. Therefore I want to help them by participating in volunteer work. For instance, there are restaurants called “children’s cafeterias” where not only children but also adults can eat meals cheaply. Furthermore,  I want to help children who get abuse from their parents. This problem has been serious in Japan. In addition, some parents kill their babies after their births. Hence, there are commercials to prevent those incidents in Japan. The commercials allow someone nearby to easily call a child consultation center for those children. However, I think Japanese government has to select more strict laws to protect those children.

living tax. And there is a system that  people  pay money to their hometown and the city returns the city's fruits and food to the person as a reward. This is called hometown tax payment and it promotes regional revitalization.

Regard  of education almost all Japanese have gone to high school and half of them have gone to college or university. In fact, those who have graduate from university is easier to get job and those who haven’t, so there people who cannot get their job therefore they can’t live in a stable life. Some of them is living on the street. So, some Japanese volunteer groups give them meals freely and regularly.

I want to join the volunteer and help them. And also, as Utako said, there are still some mothers who abundant their baby due to unstable living conditions. These days there is a person who killed her baby in my neighbor. To  stop such sorrowful incidents, I would like to join a volunteer to help them.

For a while, the US did have a draft for service, but this only applied to men and therefore I would have been exempt (thankfully). If for some reason the US decided to bring the draft back, I really do not think I would be willing to support a country in a war for three reasons: I don’t support war in general, I don’t necessarily enjoy the idea of supporting this country, and because I am so ill-fitted for battle. However, there are other ways for me to aid my community which I enjoy doing, like community service and advocating for the rights of the people in my community. More recently (aka in light of COVID-19) some other civic duties include social distancing/quarantining, wearing masks in public, and maintain good hygiene; all of which I am happy to do.