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Local Draft Board Research Paper

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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

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With the Vietnam War spurring contention across the nation, this period in history marked a pivotal change in our country's history. Vietnam was the first war to use the draft as its primary method of enlistment. With soldiers forced into service, the war sparked a series of protests and riots throughout the nation. Many men

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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).

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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.

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The Vietnam Memorial Fund analyzed the Vietnam draft stating, “an October 1966 report by the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service showed that only 1.3 percent of local board members were African American. By comparison, African Americans constituted 11 percent of the U.S. population, 16.3 percent of all draftees, and 23 percent of all combat troops in Vietnam in 1967” (vvmf.org, 2018). This obvious disproportionation was emotionally scarring for many, and the poor socioeconomic citizens aimed their anger towards the government. They started to put their opposition towards the war effort to extreme measures with draft protests, inflicting minor injuries on themselves, or fleeing to Canada to make them ineligible for combat. The media televised the abuse of soldiers at war.

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According to “Should the U.S Draft Be Reinstated?” by Anthony, Christina, Nichole, and Nicholas, “The draft would supply the armed forces with a broad mixture of soldiers which would lead to limits on future wars.” This shows that not only do the poor and minorities could fulfill their duty as Americans. In other words, every American, despite ethnicity, has some duty to serve, for everyone living in this country, however, not everyone needs

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There has been an official military draft in America since 1917 when the Selective Service System was created. The draft is essentially a lottery that American men, ages of 18-26 and those who work, are selected from. Those who did not register for the draft could’ve been prosecuted and convicted. There has been drafts for the every since the American Civil War however, drafting was put to an end in 1973 by President Nixon. Whether or not this idea was good one can be up for debate.

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In 1918 when the men were drafted, it was because they were physically mature enough to be a part of the demanding and harsh conditions soldiers were put through. This was the government deciding when a man becomes mature enough to undergo these strict tasks that faced them. It was determined that once a man reached 18 he was eligible for the draft. In this, it exemplifies what it means to be physically mature in the eye of the government even though the men may not be seen mentally ready for the task of war. In the wars, men are pushed to the physical limits, but in regular life, men are not physically mature until 25 when the body is fully developed (Gengler 2011).

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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.

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