In addition to sheer unfairness of the draft there were other problems associated with the system such as the bias that was seen within the local draft boards. During the Vietnam war there were over 4,050 local draft boards that consisted of privileged white men who were responsible for the selection and the deferment process of men who had been called to military service. Members of the boards were appointed by the president and they served a term of five years without being paid. Although the process of selecting men for the draft boards was highly official, when good volunteers were appointed and finished their term they were often persuaded by the Selective Service headquarters to remain on the board. Therefor many men who were on the boards were older and bias. For example: a local draft board in Ausbury New Jersey had a hard time …show more content…
Local draft boards were becoming too picky about the men they sent to serve America in the Vietnam War, and they began to believe they knew what was right for their country. Similarly, to the New Jersey example, there were issues when it came to the boards that had World War II veterans on them. There was also bias within those boards because the veterans had their own view on what a war should be like, and they believed that fighting for the US should be a honor. The war veterans were also known for viewing the Vietnam War like it was similar to their experience in The Second World War. An example of times when these veterans tried to relate to young men being drafted during Vietnam was when parents would call the boards expressing their concern for their sons. A New York Times article provides evidence for a situation when that occurred, General Hershey the draft's veteran director once said, "Members and personnel of the board appreciate the concern of parents when their sons are being called into service... most of them know from personal experience the trials of such times” (Fred
As President Roosevelt signed the selective training and service act of 1940. As the country’s first peacetime draft and formally established the act as an independent federal agency within the department of defense. Even before this there was a long history of drafting citizens to serve in the armed forces. Why drafting would be a bad idea, the training considerations, time lag, standards would drop, and high costs would be some bad ideas.
This was the first time there was a law requiring people to fight. This put all male citizens susceptible to getting drafting. To avoid drafting, the rich were able to give a year 's worth of pay instead of going to war. Some people even injured themselves so they would be unable to fight. For example, many men who knew they were going to get drafted would purposefully knock out their teeth so they wouldn
“There were occasions, I believed, when a nation was justified in using military force to achieve its ends, to stop a hitler or some comparable evil, and I told myself that in such circumstances I would’ve willingly marched off to the battle. The problem, though, was that a draft board did not let you choose your war” (42). Tim also also protested against the
War Babies: London’s View of Men’s Mentality The Vietnam War was the second longest war in the United States history, an effort to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. An eighteen-year-old boy joined the Marine Corps in the year of 1965 as ranked Private First Class but was soon killed in action at the age of nineteen in Vietnam, Quang Nam on August 26, 1966 (Hunter). Similar to most soldiers during the Vietnam War, Duane Theodore Greenlee of Monroe County lacked the characteristics to be a leader, let alone a soldier in combat. With every terrified step in Vietnam that decided life or death, the unprepared Duane Theodore Greenlee fought like a newborn strolling in a war zone.
All in all, Source 1 and 2 both have a different stance on how the Draft should or shouldn’t be available. While both do give their beneficial ideals, Source 2 was more logical with its stand than Source 1s idea of unity and income. However, both sources use the reason that Draft shouldn’t be passed from World war and Vietnam. For example, “ Vietnam was a war of attrition without a clear victory condition or civilian peace-building component, and thus unlike our more recent conflicts” (Source 1). Also , “First of all, World War II and the Vietnam conflict, both of which were very costly in terms of human life for numerous reasons, were also both wars of conscription, as was the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history in terms of American lives lost” (Source 2).
Drafted or Willing. (A Discussion over the United States Draft) The United States draft was created to ensure that during times of war our numbers in battle would never become to strained or cause faltering. This was successful for many battles, and in war, but why did it stop? Some thought this was an unethical practice that took away the free will of a man to do as he pleased with his life.
How important were Drafts during the Vietnam War? During the Vietnam War drafts were a huge part of troops and their families lives. The draft was a way that we would make our troops bigger and better by forcing American men to fight in the war.. American men had to sign up for the draft at age 18. Men from the ages between 18 and 26 were the main chosen to go over to fight.
This part of the documentary on the draft riots of 1863 really enlightened me and informed me to things that I did not know about. The draft riots of 1863 actually lasted four days. The reason why these riots were happening was because of the three hundred dollars they had to pay if they did not want to participate in the draft. People could not afford to just shell out three hundred dollars. Some people, back in those times, were only paid five hundred dollars a year.
From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.
With many scared of the possibility of being drafted or their friends being drafted decided to take a stand, and these protests showed just how many Americans were opposed to the draft. The number of people who went to the extreme to protest was immense, as “more than 22,000 Americans were indicted for draft law violations between 1965 and 1975. Of this total, 8,756 were convicted of crimes, and 4,001 faced imprisonment” (Conscientious Objectors 1). Even with those who stayed lawful, thousands left to Canada or to Europe as a way to dodge the draft or to get out of a country going into immoral war (Ward 2). The draft clearly had a negative effect on the nation, and many lost trust.
Many Americans believe that the government does not have this right. Therefore, every American citizen should not be subject to a military draft because it causes family separation, physical injuries/possible death, and mental trauma. Every American citizen should not be subject to a military draft because it causes family separation. Another consequence of such an outcome is the lack of family interaction between the mother/father with the child.
As the author is told he is being drafted to war, he becomes very upset. He clearly does not want to be part of it. His initial says, “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen.
“The Draft,” as it is commonly referred to, was enacted in September of 1940. Even though the United States was not yet involved in World War II when the act was passed, President Roosevelt regarded it as a vital method of training American men for military service. By 1940, tensions between the United States and Germany were rising as the Nazis had invaded numerous European countries and the news of concentration camps was spreading. Throughout July of 1940, England was the next country to face Nazi aggression, as they faced attacks from the German airforce and navy. With fears that America would be the next country to face a German invasion, Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also proclaiming, “America stands
In the article “service and citizenship”, it discusses the state of the military in the late 1950s to the early 1970s. It discusses the Vietnam War and how the war led to the death of many servicemen abroad, resulting to numerous internal controversies. This led most anti draft movement group to agitate against the use of draft to select people into the military. However, a poll was organized to know the number of American citizens who are against the draft. During that time, the democratic Presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey advised the populace to put aside recrimination and disunion but his worlds were not strong enough to convince the aggrieved Americans at that time.
These lists were called “Slacker Lists” and were made available to the public (When “Slacker” was a Dirty Word, 2014). The government branded these people and created a negative meaning to being a believer in peace. This affected not only those who actively dodged the draft, but even just speaking out against war was cause for opposition. Trumbo is a great example of the branding and shaming that came with defying war during that time period. As Bohrman mentioned in the interview with Trumbo, he was blacklisted from Hollywood, having to go under the radar after his anti-war book printed.