Being Drafted

1942

I just turned 18 in the middle of World War 2,  which means I will have to register for the draft. If you are wondering what it is, let me explain it to you.

What Is the Draft?

The draft is a way to pick who goes to war at random. Another word for it is conscription and the way they would choose people is by using the lottery. In the words of Edward Oxford, the draft began at noon on October 29 where many people in America saw the next way the US was going to prepare for war, "the drawing of the draft numbers", which would happen using the same fishbowl from 1917 with 9,000 blue capsules that all had a unique number which showed who would be picked for the draft (Oxford). This was also the first peacetime draft in US History

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States and the only President to serve four terms.

The draft in WW2 started when Franklin D. Roosevelt (bottom right) signed the Selective Service Act, making a large amount of men register for the draft. This would be the first time so far the US has entered a peace time draft, meaning we were not in a war, but started a draft anyway.

What Is the Draft?

FUN FACT:

(Franklin D. Roosevelt)

What Is the Draft?

When the draft started, there were almost 17 million men who registered for the draft on the same that it did. This was good news because it meant if war came to America (and it did), we would be even more prepared than usual.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam is an American icon and is mainly known by being the man on the poster (bottom right) to advertise resignation for the draft. According to Reginald Horsman," The term "Uncle Sam" was used as early as 1813" (Horsman)

(Horsman)

Being Drafted

1942

Since I am now an 18 year old, I have to go and check if I am eligible for the draft. This is important because it determines if I am allowed to be drafted or not. If you are wondering how to be able to be drafted, I can show you who and who can be,

Who Was Eligible For the Draft?

The military could not take everyone for the draft because some might not have been able to, mainly for physical reasons, so requirements were set in place for people. In the words of Paul Dickson, to be eligible for the draft, a man was required to be at least 21 years old and at most 45. They also needed to be at least 105 pounds and 5’ feet tall while also being under 6 feet and 6 inches. Being able to read and write was also needed, and the man could not have any “criminal convictions” against him (Dickson).

Who Was Eligible For the Draft?

What about women?

Connor Joseph says that during the mid 1940s, Congress had to decide whether or not women should be drafted which was previously thought to be  impossible (Joseph). However, during the war the idea of drafting nurses (who could only be women during those years) was brought up by  President Roosevelt himself, saying that the support was needed considering the deaths and injuries on the battlefield. 

Connor Joseph also explained that, some time after, a bill was approved to make nurses sign up for the draft with the same rules that the men had, but once it reached the full senate, “the bill stalled” and afterwards was suddenly deferred without an explanation (Joseph). This was likely because the war had ended and the discussion was no longer important.