Speeches by Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala

U.S. Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala
Remarks on "National Service and Multi-Culturalism," at the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre - Konrad Adenauer Foundation International Discourse Series, March 25, 2003 - Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important forum on national service. Perhaps, as Malaysia considers its own national service plans, a few words about the American experience will be helpful.

The American governmental system is firmly based on the concept enunciated by President Abraham Lincoln, a government "of the people, by the people and for the people." Democratically elected leaders serve the public, and all members of society have an important role to play in shaping their nation's future. The idea of national service and volunteerism goes hand-in-hand with the concept of a government of the people.

America is a nation of volunteers. A majority of the U.S. adult population participates in some form of national or community service, devoting an average of 4 hours a week to volunteer activities. Without such service, much of the prosperity, social development and security of the United States would be impossible.

Our national service and related forms of volunteerism can be roughly divided into four categories:

PROFESSIONALS, who receive salaries and work in full-time jobs devoted to national service, such as members of our armed forces and our foreign service personnel;

SEMI-PROFESSIONALS, who offer their help on a temporary or part-time basis, such as volunteer firefighters and military reservists;

FEDERAL VOLUNTEERS, who offer a few years of their lives to help others, such as Peace Corps volunteers overseas or members of AmeriCorps; and

LOCAL VOLUNTEERS, who offer their time, money and energy to meet needs in their own communities.

Mandatory national service does not exist in the United States today. But although service is not mandatory, over 50 percent of Americans - and almost 30 percent of teenagers - are choosing today to volunteer for some form of national or community service.

We have had an "all-volunteer army" since the end of the Vietnam War. The military has been able to recruit enough people every year voluntarily to allow us to maintain a strong military without drafts or conscriptions, although young men are still asked to register at the age of 18 should conditions ever warrant its reintroduction.

What draws them to serve without compulsion? Well, it is not money -- salaries for enlisted personnel and officers alike are well below those offered for comparable positions in the private sector. But the military is able to offer its people training, education, health care and retirement benefits not found in every part of the private sector.

In fact, our armed forces are able to recruit many technically-savvy, well-educated and mature young people because they feel that service in the armed forces is the best way to develop their own talents and to respond to the patriotic spirit that runs strong in the blood of many Americans.

Another way that people demonstrate their patriotism and spirit is through part-time national service. Members of the US military reserves and National Guard hold regular jobs around the country, but when their government calls, they take leave to participate in training or, if necessary, to respond to emergencies and defend their nation.

Many reservists and members of National Guards units are leaving their jobs and families this month to respond to security needs in the US and overseas. In most cases, their employers are granting them leave without penalty, part of their own contribution to the national interest.

Not all emergencies occur overseas, and many of the emergency workers in America are unpaid and on call around-the-clock. Believe it or not, 80 percent of the firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers. Many police reservists, paramedic crews, hospital aides and Red Cross workers in smaller communities around the country are unpaid volunteers, too. The National Ski Patrol, which rescues people trapped in winter snowstorms, is an all-volunteer force.
These people all work their regular jobs to pay the bills; they also respond to emergency sirens or late-night calls to protect their community and respond to those who need a helping hand in a moment of need.

It was President John F. Kennedy who inspired many young Americans to national service when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." His vision helped launch the US Peace Corps, which is probably the best known volunteer organization in the US. Since 1961the Peace Corps has sent 168,000 Americans of all ages to serve in 136 countries around the world, including Malaysia.

The success of the Peace Corps led to interest in establishing a domestic parallel, since America has always had its own disadvantaged and isolated communities. In 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) was created. Since then, over 120,000 Americans have accepted a poverty-level salary and agreed to move to the poorest parts of our country, where they help educate young people, bring water and sanitation pipes to isolated communities, set up farm cooperatives and offer basic medical services.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton combined VISTA with several other volunteer programs to create AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps offers any young person who agrees to give up one year of his or her time to help needy people in the US a modest living allowance, health insurance, and an award of $4,725 for education after they complete their year of service.

AmeriCorps programs have become so popular that there are now millions of volunteers (over 100,000 in the states of California and New York alone). The participants get to choose where they would like to serve and when they are available; local charities then match their needs with volunteers' skills. The U.S. Government provides the money to feed and house the volunteers, together with that end-of-service incentive that helps many get new training or enter university to enhance their employment prospects afterwards.

AmeriCorps is now part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also includes such programs as:

Learn and Serve America - which provides schools, colleges and community organizations with grants for service-learning;

The National Senior Service Corps -- which encourages retired and elderly Americans to continue to actively serve their communities.

In addition, there are numerous programs like:

Everybody Wins -- which asks prominent government and business leaders, including several US Senators, to schedule one hour of their time every week to read a book with a primary school student in a poor neighborhood;

America's Promise - an alliance for young persons chaired by Colin Powell;

USA Freedom Corps -- a network of community service opportunities around the country.

Just as there are millions of Americans engaged in these federally-funded services, their are millions more who serve their local community, volunteering their time, donating their money and opening their homes and businesses to those in need.

Many of the teacher aides in America's schools and staff in our public libraries in America are volunteers;

The guides and workers at many of America's parks, forest reserves and recreation centers are volunteers;

The caregivers and counselors at many of our hospitals, homes for the aged, shelters for the homeless and battered women, prisons and half-way houses are volunteers;

And just about everyone who works for a political or social campaign in America is a volunteer.

Whether it is social or political activism, like the civil rights movement and the campaign for women's rights, or religious or community causes, America's volunteers are the forces that respond to injustices and inspire the public to respond.

America is also a society of donors. If you look at the US from a distant perspective, it might seem that big businesses and corporate foundations are the major philanthropists in our society. They are, indeed, able to gather a lot of publicity for their donations, but they provide only 10 percent of all the charitable contributions in the United States. The other 90 percent comes from ordinary American citizens, giving a few dollars or a few hours at a time.

So, to summarize, we do not have any form of mandatory national service in the US, but we do have a broad menu of voluntary service opportunities available to all Americans. We have found that, taken together, these types of voluntary service meet a broad range of needs within our society and around the world. At the same time, the experience of doing voluntary service promotes a true sense of citizenship, service, charity and multiculturalism. It gives our people a true stake in the affairs of the nation. It is certainly a solution that has worked well for us.

I wish the government and people of Malaysia well in your efforts to develop a system of national service that will work for you.

Thank you very much.

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U.S. Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala Remarks on "National Service and Multi-Culturalism," at the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre - Konrad Adenauer Foundation International Discourse Series, March 25, 2003 - Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur

U.S. Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala
Remarks on "National Service and Multi-Culturalism," at the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre - Konrad Adenauer Foundation International Discourse Series, March 25, 2003 - Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur