Vietnam_War Conscription_in_the_United_States

president gerald ford announces amnesty draft evaders @ white house, washington, d.c., in 1974.

as u.s. troop strength in south vietnam increased, more young men drafted service there, , many of still @ home sought means of avoiding draft. since 15,000 national guard , reserve soldiers sent south vietnam, enlistment in guard or reserves became popular means of avoiding serving in war zone. meet more stringent enlistment standards, service in air force, navy, or coast guard means of reducing chances of being killed. vocations ministry , rabbinate soared, because divinity students exempt draft. doctors , draft board members found being pressured relatives or family friends exempt potential draftees.

the marriage deferment ended on august 26, 1965. around 3:10pm president johnson signed order allowing draft of men married after midnight day, around 5pm announced change first time.

some conscientious objectors objected war based on theory of war. 1 of these, stephen spiro, convicted of avoiding draft, given suspended sentence of 5 years. later pardoned president gerald ford.

there 8,744,000 servicemembers between 1964 , 1975, of whom 3,403,000 deployed southeast asia. pool of approximately 27 million, draft raised 2,215,000 men military service (in united states, south vietnam, , elsewhere) during vietnam war era. majority of servicemembers deployed south vietnam volunteers, though hundreds of thousands of men opted join army, air force, navy, , coast guard (for 3 or 4 year terms of enlistment) rather risk being drafted, serve 2 years, , have no choice on military occupational specialty (mos).

of 16 million men not engaged in active military service, 57% exempted (typically because of jobs including other military service), deferred (usually educational reasons), or disqualified (usually physical , mental deficiencies criminal records including draft violations). requirements obtaining , maintaining educational deferment changed several times in late 1960s. several years, students required take annual qualification test. in 1967 educational deferments changed graduate students. starting graduate studies in fall of 1967 given 2 semester deferments becoming eligible in june of 1968. further along in graduate study entered prior summer of 1967 continue receive deferment until completed studies. peace corps volunteers no longer given deferments , induction left discretion of local boards. boards allowed peace corps volunteers complete 2 years assignment before inducting them service. on december 1, 1969, lottery held establish draft priority born between 1944 , 1950. high number no longer had concerned draft. 500,000 men disqualified criminal records, less 10,000 of them convicted of draft violations. finally, many 100,000 draft eligible men fled country.