Do soldiers enlist of their own free will?

My last post was so light-hearted that I decided to follow it up with something more philosophical. I'm reading Kenneth Burke right now, who asserts that, "Freedom to choose requires adequate knowledge of the act's consequences, so that a person must know the consequences involved in making a particular choice. Human beings never can be completely free because they never know the full consequences of their acts."*

So, what level of freedom do soldiers have who enlist thinking that they're going to do local National Guard duty yet get sent overseas? Or WW I American soldiers who think they're going off on a gay adventure in Europe? (I am reclaiming the word gay.) Or enlistees who believe that we're going in for a fast rout, which will be quickly followed by flower-petal parades in their honor?

If you're feeling really philosophical, you can address the level of freedom any humans enjoy.

Let's hear from you!


*paraphrased by Foss, Foss, and Trapp