In 1940, Americans closely watched news reports of Nazi Germany’s military sweeping across Europe, while Japan aggressively used its military in East Asia. Public opinion in the United States dramatically shifted from isolationism to the possibility of military action against the Axis powers of Italy, Japan, and Germany.
On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also known as the draft. The law required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for military service.
Although there had been wartime drafts during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War I, this draft was different. It was the first time the nation implemented a peacetime draft.
Following Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, Congress amended the act, requiring all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 64 to register with their local draft boards for military service throughout World War II and for six months afterward. In practice, however, only men from 18 to 45 were drafted.
Throughout the war, more than 10 million men were inducted into the Army, Navy, and Marines through the draft. However, most of the men who served, as well as many women, volunteered for duty.
Many men who were too old or were physically disabled often served on the home front, performing essential work in farms and factories. Women also worked in factories in place of the men who were sent overseas to fight.
The draft remained in effect until 1973. That period encompassed the time when millions of men were drafted during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Among the famous people drafted after World War II were singer/actor Elvis Presley and baseball star Willie Mays.
On July 1, 1973, the draft officially ended, and the all-volunteer force was established and continues to this day. Currently, only men and women who volunteer serve in the nation’s armed forces. There is a consensus among Department of Defense leaders that the all-volunteer force is working well and is attracting America’s talented, physically fit, and motivated young people.
