Local Draft Board Research Paper

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

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