the draft

• the draft was a compulsory service in the military force
• those selected for the draft were sent draft cards, telling them where and when to report
• men were drafted from the age of 18-26, and took a basic training course, and then could be called up at any time to fight
• the draft created even more opposition to the war, as many people thought it was unfair, and argued that the draftees were too young and not well enough trained, increasing the chances of them being killed
• people also argued that poor families, black and white, were least able to avoid the draft by the various methods that people used
• the draft system was changed in 1969 to a lottery system, where all men born between 1944 and 1950 were given a random number, according to their date of birth
• each time more soldiers were needed, a number was drawn for the next draft year, which mixed up the ages and the fact it was random made the draft fairer
• during the war, over 26 million men were eligible for the draft
• of the 2.6 million men who served in vietnam, 650,000 were draftees, and another million draftees were in the military but did not go to vietnam
• there were ways to delay, or even avoid being drafted
• one way of avoiding the draft was that college students could delay being drafted until they graduated
• one way of avoiding the draft was that clergymen and students training to work in the church were exempt
• one way of avoiding the draft was that some workers in the government, farming or industry were exempt
• one way of avoiding the draft was that those who could prove that their joining up would be a 'hardship' for their families were exempt
• one way of avoiding the draft was that the only son of a family was exempt
• one way of avoiding the draft was that the physically and mentally unfit were exempt
• one way of avoiding the draft was that conscientious objectors could avoid fighting, but often had to do other war work, and if they refused to do this, they went to prison
• during the war, about 300,000 young men applied as COs, and 170,000 were exempted
• one way of avoiding the draft was that studying and working abroad made you exempt, which was mainly an option for those whose families could afford to organise it for them
• one way of avoiding the draft was that leaving the USA illegally, or going into hiding in the USA would make you exempt
• around 40,000-50,000 were able to hide to avoid being drafted
• anti-war activists published pamphlets and set up 'clinics' to give advice on how to avoid the draft, and showed people how to fill out the form to apply for exemption as a CO, or explained the various exemptions to them
• other anti-war activists went further by making contact with young men who had been drafted and tried to persuade them to become COs or to otherwise avoid the draft
• about 3 million young men served in vietnam, and about 15 million avoided being drafted, most of whom delayed being sent, or were legally exempt