I have the utmost respect for the frum oilam that send their sons to the army! First of all they learn the meaning of time-a soldier is given no breaks-dressed and ready in seconds. They learn to be alert, focused, and to use every sense to survive. They get no time off for minyan, they need to wake up extra early. They experience 48 hour days, hikes so difficult with heavy packs, rescuing a fellow Jew, and mixing among all types of Jews, etc.. Any soldier can apply the skills he learned in the army to his Torah learning and we could produce gedolei Hador like we used to have-those who never wasted a minute, who learned with great hasmoda, who cared about their fellow Jew, etc…Incidentally, high commanders in the army are usually from the top Hesder yeshiva students and are very very frum. And in the army, there is great respect for frum people who follow the Torah honestly.
According to the letter it seems that the intention of keeping Charedi people from the average society is the fear that they will be exposed to things and leave Torah and mitzvos. And so I ask you-if those from the top hesder yeshivas serve in the army and leave shomer Torah and mitzvos, why is the chinuch of the Charedi not providing enough chizuk to their own sons to withstand the tests of being part of the general population without compromising their own mitzva observance? Don’t all of the gedolim regularly meet with all kinds of Jews and are not fazed by their different derachim or no derech?