If he wimped out, don’t be so sure a lot of us wouldn’t have done the same. As the military situation in World War II became more desperate, Japan began altering the original conscription laws. Draft registration cards were filled out at the registrant’s home and then mailed to the Selective Service Board. This act was the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, and was the first peace time conscription in United States History. Military records are a wonderful way of finding out information about an ancestor. MILITARY CLASSIFICATIONS . But there were still large numbers of horses and mules employed as cavalry, field artillery draft animals, and in supply trains. World War II: The American Draft--Military Conscription Figure 1.--It was not until Congress passed the peace time draft (September 1940) that America began building a substantial army. For Draftees compiled by Anne Yoder, Archivist, Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Men who served in World War II do not have to sign up. EVENT. Between 1941 and 1943, there were five more registrations, and the ages changed to 18-44. They were assigned to "work of national importance." Just about a year before that, in October 1940, President Roosevelt had signed into law the first peacetime selective service draft in U.S. history, due to rising world conflicts. As Garry Wills tells the story in his book John Wayne’s America: The Politics of Celebrity (1997), the Duke faced a tough choice at the outset of World War II. A total of 10,110,104 men were drafted between November 1940 and October 1946, drawing from the pool of men born on or before 1927. The current version of the draft was also used during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1948, in order to safeguard the only remaining sons of families that had lost other children during World War II, the United States passed a law that exempted sole surviving sons from the draft. The Oklahoma County Library has no records of these cards, nor does the Oklahoma Historical Society. READ MORE: How the Vietnam War Draft Spurred the Fight for Lowering the Legal Voting Age During the mobilization period before and during World War II, roughly some 21 million physical examinations were conducted for inductions of enlisted men. This draft registration was not intended to be used for military service but to provide a complete inventory of manpower resources in the United States that could be utilized for national service during World War II. About a year before, in October 1940, President Roosevelt had signed into law the first peacetime selective service draft in U.S. history because of rising world conflicts. By war’s end, approximately 34 million men had registered; 10 million had been inducted into the military. The Isolations fought both the first Selectice Service bill as well as its renewal a year later (August 1941). This act officially established the Selective Service System. He says that old Frankie poked a hole in his eardrum with a needle to avoid serving. World War II Draft Registration Records. This site is a searchable archive for World War II era Army enlistment records, generally spanning the years 1938 - 1946. But that judgment is a little harsh. The U.S. officially entered World War II on 8 December 1941 following an attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I say it's just an old rumor, and a star of Sinatra's stature could find better ways to dodge his duty than self mutilation. Duty locations, Naval Group China, World War II, 1942-1945 General Correspondence of the Record and Pension Office, 1889-1904 Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards 1940-1942 U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Search almost 6 million draft cards of men who registered for the fourth WWII draft in 1942. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 Draft registration cards for more than 24 million men who registered for the WWI draft in 1917 and 1918. CONSCRIPTION, WORLD WAR II. Includes men and women, foreign scouts and nationals, etc. Among the notables drafted after World War II were singer/actor Elvis Presley and baseball star Willie Mays. The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which signaled the return of the U.S. military draft as employed during World War I, was meant to control how many people entered service, so that no more than 900,000 would be in training at any one time. The last man inducted entered the U.S. Army on June 30, 1973 during the last draft conducted. One exception is the Fourth Registration, or "Old Man's Draft," also on Fold3. My roommate and I have been going back and forth about Frank Sinatra's rather sketchy reasons for not fighting in World War II. Oh, what delicious (if cheap) irony! WORLD WAR I [From Selective Service Regulations, 1917 (see Subject File: Conscientious Objection/Objectors -- Government Documents)] * Conscientious Objectors: any registrant found by his Local Board to be a member of any well-recognized religious sect or organization … Finally, in World War II, the draft law exempted from military service those who "by reason of religious training and belief" opposed war. World War II draft The draft began in October 1940, with the first men entering military service on November 18. Newspapers also ran casualty lists, warnings for draft dodgers and coverage of conscientious objectors, a new status during World War II. The first draft registration under the 1940 Selective Training and Service Act required all males ages 21-36 to register on October 16, 1940, to serve in what would ultimately be WWII. America had been victorious in its wars leading up to World War II, but now its military barely ranked in the world’s top 20. In autumn 1943 all males over 20, including college students, were subject to enlistment, and its coinciding with the first suicide attacks explains why such a high percentage of college level enlistees were assigned to “Special Attack” duties. Draft Deferment: World War II. Early Draft Registration Cards -- Per Oklahoma County Courthouse these early day draft registration cards were not kept. Each card contains the registrant's name, age, birth date and place, residence, employer, and physical description. This registration was not intended to be used for military service, but to provide a complete inventory of manpower resources that could be used for national service. By the early summer of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the U.S. Congress to extend the term of duty for the draftees beyond twelve months to a total of thirty months, plus any additional time that he could deem necessary for national security. This website is a directory of links to online military indexes and records for USA genealogy research. Taxes were raised, bonds sold, gas and food rationed, and a draft passed. The 4x6 cards (SSS-1 forms) cover a special classification of individuals born between 1897 and 1929 and covers multiple registrations The collection was located at the NARA SW region in Forth Worth Texas. It was also active in peace times between the latter two wars. Draft registration and enlistment forms normally give address, occupation, name of spouse, birth date and sometimes height, weight, hair and eye color. (In addition to his military status, it reveals that John was a switchman before he enlisted, as well as working at the dairy.) It had less than 200,000 men in uniform, and some of them were wearing doughboy helmets from World War I and carrying guns that dated back almost to the turn-of-the-century Spanish American War. The following shows the number of men who were inducted into military service through the Selective Service System during the major 20th century conflicts. WORLD WAR II (1941-1945) Military service records - see World War I above. For more information about induction statistics, call Selective Service at 703-605-4100. FamilySearch - Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 FREE Draft registration cards arranged numerically by local board number then alphabetically by surname of registrant. Congress has issued revisions to the Selective Service Act to permit all married men deferment from Class I-A draft classification for military service until further notice. In Calendar Year 1943, the statistics broke down as: 5,191,400 draftees examined 3,307,600 were declared fit for military … After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. initiated a draft that reached beyond younger age groups. World War II Draft Cards World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945 World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945 World War II Japanese-American Internment Camp Documents, 1942-1946 WWII U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Muster Rolls, 1939-1949 U.S. WWII Military Personnel Missing In Action or Lost At Sea, 1941-1946. The U.S. officially entered World War II on 8 December 1941 following an attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The objectors still served. Note that some of these individuals may have served later -- however, they received deferments initially. In the PBS series The War, which documents World War II, there is a famous … The eve of World War II saw the passage of another conscription act. Military Horses & Mules During WW II. The purpose of this draft amendment, ... World War 2.0 tries to imagine what the reporting of World War II might have looked like if the conflict were taking place today. Included are rosters, databases of soldiers, draft card databases for World War I and II, and listings of military and war casualties. Among the notables drafted after World War II were singer/actor Elvis Presley and baseball star Willie Mays. We have records of 8,288,156 U.S. Army soldiers, reservists, and enlistees. This service fell into two types: First, about 25,000 objectors served in the military in "noncombatant" roles. A combat veteran who was 18 years old in 1918 (the last year of WWI fighting) would have been 42 at the time the US was getting into WWII, and 44 when they went into France. Cecil replies: John Wayne, draft dodger? See also Draft … World War II was the first highly mechanized war, and the most vivid images of the war include tanks, long convoys of trucks and jeeps, masses of bombers flying over. 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