“Kids! What’s the matter with kids today? Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way?” These lyrics, from the 1963 play/movie “Bye Bye Birdie,” have some relevance today. Not that we were perfect in every way — far from it. But we did have a sense of pride in our country, and many of us served in the military. You either signed up or got drafted, because you didn’t have a choice!

The current younger generation, the 20- and 30-somethings, doesn’t seem to have a sense of pride, patriotism or connectivity to our 232-year-old country. Mind you, 232 years! Big deal! There are pubs in England older than that! I’ve been in a few. Yet in those short 232 years, the accomplishments are legend. We defeated many enemies along the way. We fought against ourselves in a civil war, sustaining the highest toll of casualties of any war we’ve fought, but preserved the nation despite President Lincoln’s breaking every rule in the constitutional book. We fought two world wars, won and established friendships and alliances with the vanquished. The Korean conflict preserved South Korea from the communists. We fought in Vietnam and won all the battles, but pulled out because of political pressure and a weak-kneed public dissent.

That was the beginning of youth’s resistance to military service, open rebellion and defiance of government control over personal freedom. “Hell no. We won’t go!” was the battle cry of the ’60s youth that dodged the draft, deserted and/or fled to Canada. And now we are embroiled in the biggest threat yet in Afghanistan and Iraq, where we finally found out how to win, and are winning, despite the liberal press reports, and rebellious anti-war zealots chanting anti-war slogans, singing “Kumbaya,” and gathering on street corners holding up placards declaring, “Honk for Peace!” Meanwhile, an all-volunteer military that is the best in the world is winning this war. We’ve lost more than 4,000 military personnel, and we will lose more before it is over. We are fighting the most ruthless enemy we have ever encountered, the RIMs (Radical Islamic Muslims) who would kill us all if they could.

Today’s young people don’t seem to give a rip about any of it. They want to throw President Bush out of office and elect Barack Hussein Obama to end this war. He won’t. They want to bring our troops home and everything will be OK. It won’t be.

The granola-eating, latte-sipping generation is infected with a malaise of indifference, lack of national pride and devoid of historical knowledge. Many of them are intolerant, arrogant, rude and disrespectful. And, they don’t seem to care who they hurt.

Perhaps we should bring back the draft in a form of a national pride service that everyone has to participate in, male and female. This would be a non-military service. It would require every young American to do something for his or her country. This would have to be accomplished between the ages of 18 and 25. The first thing this service would do is create awareness that this is their country. They are the future. Not us. My generation is rapidly approaching the head of the line. We did our part, and so did many of the 79 million baby boomers that began retiring this year.

If they elect not to serve their country, then several things would not be available to them. They could not hold national office as an elected or appointed official. And they wouldn’t be entitled to Social Security retirement income. Nothing in, nothing out. Sound harsh? Maybe. How do we accomplish this? Establish a national pride service for both genders. The military draft (conscription) was abolished in 1973 but can be reinstated in a national emergency. Standard exemptions would apply. I wish the young were aware of where we’ve been so they could prepare for what’s coming. History is the great teacher — if they embrace it. Too bad it’s not being taught. Should the 60- to 70-somethings step up, again? If it would help, many of us would.

In closing, more words from the ’60s: JFK’s “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”