As the young man returned home from work and found his mother sitting at the kitchen table crying and clutching an opened letter, it suddenly became all too clear.
The young man had been classified as 1-A (available for military service) earlier that year, and now the letter, the dreaded letter had arrived. The letter read something along these lines: Congratulations,
Your friends and neighbors have chosen you to serve in the armed forces of the United States of America. You are hereby requested to report to your local Draft Board Office for a physical examination. The purpose of this examination is to determine your suitability for future military service. If it is determined that you are physically fit for military service, you will receive another letter within 90 days informing you where to report for induction into the armed forces.
Sincerely yours,

For those not familiar with that dreaded letter, it was your official draft notice with an unwritten stipulation attached. If you failed to honor the formal request, you would have simply been arrested and formally charged with a federal offense.
The draft, which had been a thorn in the side of many individuals in this country for decades, officially ended on July 1, 1973, when the United States converted to an all-volunteer military.
But before that day, the draft, especially during the Vietnam War, created a firestorm of protests, riots, draft cards and flag burnings and were viewed by many as simply a freedom of expression against the war.
According to statistics released by the Selective Service System in 2001, “… more than 200,000 men were formally accused of violating draft laws during the Vietnam War. It was estimated that another 360,000 were never formally accused and of this group, 25,000 indictments were handed down – 8,750 were convicted – and under 4,000 served jail time.”

History though will continue to remind us that during the Vietnam War, pandemonium reigned supreme.
In 1968 there were riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and in 1970, the National Guard shot and killed four students at Kent State in Ohio, and of course there was Woodstock.
So the question must again be asked, was the draft a good idea or bad idea? And what if any, were the positive results that came out of the draft?
And while not being a complete advocate of or for the draft, and knowing that just the mere mention of the word rankles more than a few feathers, what harm can come from looking at a few positive things that came out of the draft, and what has been lost along the way.
All draftees arrived at boot camp with their individuality intact, but when they departed weeks later, that individuality had a different attitude.
Draftees came from all walks of life. They came from different states and ethnic backgrounds, bringing with them different cultures, religious beliefs and varying levels of success.
They included Christians, Jews, agnostics and atheists, with skin tones of black, red, white and yellow.
They were the poor, the rich and the middle class, as well as the short, the tall and those of average stature.
Their hair, their eyes and their physical appearances were all different, and they had been brought together at this moment in time by the same dreaded letter.
They learned to accept other cultures while learning a new culture. They accepted and respected their differences in religious beliefs and at the same time came to believe in the same thing, themselves.
And yet with all their unique differences, they found themselves hating and loving the same drill instructor, while quickly learning that all men wounded in war bleed the same color of blood.
They became soldiers, patriots and a unit of one.
With the end of the draft, much of this type of patriotism, understanding and unity was lost forever.
Look closely at today’s society. No longer do people understand or care about other cultures, but rather have separated themselves from anyone who is remotely different.
Respecting other religious beliefs and practices have almost become unacceptable in many faiths, and the poor never meet the rich, and the rich do not understand what it means to be poor.
Ending the draft created a vacuum in society that was slowly replaced by a new class of individuality. A class that seems satisfied with prejudice, isolation and apathy, and a personal attitude geared toward “Me.”
Most individuals that were drafted always appeared to have a different perspective toward life and their country, which may something positive about the draft. And although the all-volunteer military has not lived up to its expectations when it comes to recruiting, those men and women who have served and are serving this nation deserve our utmost support and respect, while remembering that one does not have to support the war to support the troops.
Selective Service Registration continues today as a counterbalance against underestimating the number of servicemen needed in a future crisis. The obligation of a man to register is imposed by the Military Selective Service Act. The Act establishes and governs the operations of the Selective Service System.

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