Mandatory Volunteers???

[pam]

You don't remember the CCC, either, do you?  The Civilian Conservation Corps  was set up to provide flood control, forestry and soil conservation.  It ran from 1933 to 1942 when the majority of our young men were serving in the armed forces.  It never became compulsory.

i remember my grandad talkin about it...I think he blasted tunnels up in washington working for them.

our young people need a purpose.  Without purpose, they turn to the elements that will provide excitement in their dull lives.  Why not provide them with a purpose while paying them to do it?

exactly!

Where if you were of the right age you had to register and be classified.

both my boys had to register when they turned 18....ones fixin to turn 30 friday and the other is 28. I was thinkin they still had to for some reason.

[dnalexander]

Where if you were of the right age you had to register and be classified.

both my boys had to register when they turned 18....ones fixin to turn 30 friday and the other is 28. I was thinkin they still had to for some reason.

am you are correct the Selective Service Regisration for the draft is still in effect.

Virtually all men must register with Selective Service. The exceptions to this rule are very few and include: nonimmigrant aliens on student, visitor, tourist, or diplomatic visas; men on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces; and cadets and midshipmen in the Service Academies and certain other U.S. military colleges. All other men must register upon reaching age 18 (or before age 26, if entering and taking up residence in the U.S. when already older than 18).
Disabled men, clergymen, and men who believe themselves to be conscientiously opposed to war must register because there is no draft in effect, nor is there a program to classify men at this time. Should the Congress and the President reinstate a draft, a classification program would begin. Registrants would be examined to determine suitability for military service, and they would also have ample time to claim exemptions, deferments, or postponements. To be inducted, men would have to meet the physical, mental, and administrative standards established by the military services. Local Boards would meet in every American community to determine exemptions and deferments for clergymen, ministerial students, and men who file claims for reclassification as conscientious objectors.

http://www.sss.gov/QA.HTM#quest11

David

[Diane Amberg]

Wasn't there just something yesterday about the military raising their standards again and refusing felons and drug addicts?

[Wilma]

Not having any sons and only one grandson, I didn't know that young men still had to register.  In a way I find this intrusive of our private lives;  in another, I feel relief that it wouldn't be the big job it was in 1942 to muster the men and women to defend our country.  Wait a minute, do women have to register, too?

[frawin]

Wilma, we had Draft Registration prior to WWI, I have my Grandfather's Draft Registration and all of his Brother's Draft Registrations, from the early 1900s.

[Wilma]

Was there a time without draft registration because I remember young men rushing out to get registered and be inducted right after Pearl Harbor.  I don't think my father registered until then as I have his card and it shows married, 4 children.  He was classified 4-F.  Besides the children, he had an essential job.

[frawin]

The Selective Service Act of 1917 (40 Stat. 76) was passed by the Congress of the United States on May 18, 1917 creating the Selective Service System.[3] The Act gave the President the power to draft men for military service. All males aged 21 to 30 were required to register for military service for a service period of 12 months; the age limit was later raised in August, 1918 to a maximum age of 45. The draft was later discontinued in 1920.

The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was passed by the Congress of the United States on September 16, 1940, becoming the first peacetime conscription in United States history. It required all males betweent he ages of 18 to 65 to register for Selective Service. It originally conscripted all males aged 21 to 36 for a service period of 12 months, but was later increased to males aged 18 to 45 for a military service period of 18 months. Upon declaration of war, the service period was extended to last the duration of the war plus a 6-month service in the Organized Reserves. The draft was ended in 1946 and the original Act was allowed to expire in 1947 because it was thought that a sufficient number of volunteers would enlist for the nation's defense.[citation needed]

[larryJ]

I didn't volunteer.  Old Army adage---never volunteer for anything.  My father-in-law did volunteer during WWII and served for four years mostly in the South Pacific.  He was extremely proud of his service.  At that time there was a man who wanted to take over the world and was in the process of doing just that.  We fought that war to help our friends and to keep our country from being attacked. (Did you know there is a city in California that was actually attacked?)  Anyway, during the time that I was in, 1966-1968, there was a war.  A smaller war in that one group wanted to take over the other part of their country, that is north and south Vietnam.  55,000+ volunteers and draftees died in that war over the many years the US was involved.  We weren't in much danger of being attacked but a lot of people died anyway.  Benefits?  My father-in-law received health care from the VA until his insurance was changed by his family because of convenience (nearest VA hospital was 45 miles away).  My benefits?  I really wasn't aware at that time what they were, but I used some of the education benefits, I financed my house with a VA backed loan, and when I have drawn my last breath, there will be three guys wearing a uniform at the service, one to play Taps, and two to fold the flag and give it to whomever survives me.  AND. the VA will place a simple stone on my gravesite saying my name and United States Army.  I really don't know if those who are serving are complaining because they weren't, and should have been, aware of what was going on in the world.  Anyone else who complains----------------------------PUT UP OR SHUT UP!!      Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

The Santa Barbara/ San Diego area was shelled, by subs I think, and there were two more attacks in Oregon. Did you see the movie 1942 with John Belushi ?

[dnalexander]

Wilma here is your answer regarding women and if they have to register with the selective service. The Selective Service System's official government website is www.sss.gov if you are interested.

Women Aren't Required to Register
Here's why:

THE LAW
Selective Service law as it's written now refers specifically to "male persons" in stating who must register and who would be drafted. For women to be required to register with Selective Service, Congress would have to amend the law.

THE SUPREME COURT
The constitutionality of excluding women was tested in the courts. A Supreme Court decision in 1981, Rostker v. Goldberg, held that registering only men did not violate the due process clause of the Constitution.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
At President Clinton's request, the Department of Defense reviewed this issue in 1994. DoD noted that America's prior drafts were used to supply adequate numbers of Army ground combat troops. Because women are excluded by policy from front line combat positions, excluding them from the draft process remains justifiable in DoD's view. Although no conclusions were reached, DoD recognized that policies regarding women need to be reviewed periodically because the role of women in the military continues to expand.

The Selective Service System, if given the mission and additional funding, is capable of registering and drafting women with its existing infrastructure. http://www.sss.gov/FSwomen.htm

Also, a little more readable version of my previous post.

Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.

A chart of who must register is also available.

NON-CITIZENS
Some non-citizens are required to register. Others are not. Noncitizens who are not required to register with Selective Service include men who are in the U.S. on student or visitor visas, and men who are part of a diplomatic or trade mission and their families. Almost all other male noncitizens are required to register, including illegal aliens, legal permanent residents, and refugees. The general rule is that if a male noncitizen takes up residency in the U.S. before his 26th birthday, he must register with Selective Service. For a more detailed list of which non-citizens must register, see Who Must Register - Chart .

DUAL NATIONALS
Dual nationals of the U.S. and another country are required to register, regardless of where they live, because they are U.S. nationals.
See also Aliens and Dual Nationals - Liability for Service

HOSPITALIZED OR INCARCERATED MEN
Young men in hospitals, mental institutions or prisons do not have to register while they are committed. However, they must register within 30 days after being released if they have not yet reached their 26th birthday.

DISABLED MEN
Disabled men who live at home must register with Selective Service if they can reasonably leave their homes and move about independently. A friend or relative may help a disabled man fill out the registration form if he can't do it himself.

Men with disabilities that would disqualify them from military service still must register with Selective Service. Selective Service does not presently have authority to classify men, so even men with obvious handicaps must register now, and if needed, classifications would be determined later.

FULL-TIME MILITARY EXEMPTED FROM REQUIREMENT*
Young men serving in the military on full-time active duty do not have to register. Those attending the service academies do not have to register. However, if a young man leaves the military before turning 26, he must register.

NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES*
Members of the Reserve and National Guard not on full-time active duty must register.

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
Men who would be classified as Conscientious Objectors if they were drafted must also register with Selective Service. If a draft begins and they are called, they would have the opportunity to file a claim for exemption from military service based upon their religious or moral objection to war.



*NOTE:  If a man failed to register with Selective Service, Section 12(g) of the Military Selective Service Act allows non-registrants to receive benefits under specific conditions. As a veteran, or part-time National Guard or Reservist, the man satisfies those conditions with his DD Form 214 showing the dates of his military service, or a current military ID card if still on active duty or a member of the National Guard and Reserves. These documents serve as evidence that the man's failure to register was not knowing and willful. Therefore, men who served on full-time active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces should not be denied student financial aid, loans, or grants; vocational training under WIA; government employment; and security clearances, on the basis of their failure to register with Selective Service. As long as the man has proof of his active duty military service, such as his DD 214, or current military ID card if still on active duty or a member of the National Guard or Reserves, his subsequent failure to register should not be a bar to any benefits or programs, contingent upon registration compliance, for which he is otherwise qualified.
http://www.sss.gov/FSwho.htm


David