WI An American Compulsory Service System

Now, this is just an idea of mine and I'm not sure whether or not it has any historical precedent. Basically, this thread is concerned about the effects that some form of compulsory service in America would have on the nation. I know the USA has the draft but since, for all intents and purposes, the military is a volunteer organization, we'd need some PODs to bring this about.

By compulsory service, I mean that students, after graduating high school, are required to spend time in one of two systems:
  1. Serve in a branch of the military for a certain period of time. Allotments are made for moral, religious, etc. views.
  2. Serve in a national service organization for a certain period of time, a la AmeriCorps. Workers would help in disadvantaged communities, in disaster relief, tutoring children, possibly wilderness firefighting, etc.
I'm wondering if a system like the one outlined above would help the States improve parity in equality and related issues.

What PODs would be needed for this? Would it work?
 
Now, this is just an idea of mine and I'm not sure whether or not it has any historical precedent. Basically, this thread is concerned about the effects that some form of compulsory service in America would have on the nation. I know the USA has the draft but since, for all intents and purposes, the military is a volunteer organization, we'd need some PODs to bring this about.

By compulsory service, I mean that students, after graduating high school, are required to spend time in one of two systems:
  1. Serve in a branch of the military for a certain period of time. Allotments are made for moral, religious, etc. views.
  2. Serve in a national service organization for a certain period of time, a la AmeriCorps. Workers would help in disadvantaged communities, in disaster relief, tutoring children, possibly wilderness firefighting, etc.
I'm wondering if a system like the one outlined above would help the States improve parity in equality and related issues.

What PODs would be needed for this? Would it work?

Service obligations ended in 1975, iirc. One PoD that comes to mind is the introduction and emphasis of the second option sometime between Korea an serious involvement in Vietnam.

First blush result for me is a more professional military in the 60's and 70's and less professional in the 80's relative to OTL. Maybe Eisenhower would see a more capable force as a worthwhile objective, and his advocating for it could be the PoD.

To make up for the manpower shortfall prior to the end of TTL conscription, you'd need a greater emphasis on long service, volunteer personnel. In comparison to after conscription historically ended in OTL, in TTL you'd have a greater turnover of personnel and a lesser experience base for the same number of personnel serving at any one time.

One interesting twist is whenever the obligatory service policy is rescinded (presumably much later than 1975, perhaps 1991?). You'd have a greater pool of trained manpower to recall if you ever had a shortfall in a trade. Presuming that you recalled former conscripts for familiarization training every 5-7 years or so, you'd have them deployable after a reasonable predeployment period.

That's what came to mind when you brought the topic up, but you were asking about "equality issues".

Well, it improves things in comparison to OTL history. You don't have poor folks being forced to get shot at. They can be cleaning bedpans in the hospital instead. That's a step up. Still doing it towards the end of the cold war? Poor folks are still going to get shoved into menial jobs.

A guy who just wants to be a mechanic is still going to be stuck with a choice between serving in an environment where he might get killed (but receive some trades training) versus working some menial job where he's going to be treading water for a couple years (serving with the Peace Corps isn't going to be counting towards his apprenticeship time).

I don't see it as a step back, but I don't think it's going to radically improve harmony in the 1970's or butterfly the Black Panthers.
 
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