In 1940, Americans closely watched news reports of German armed forces overrunning much of Europe, while Japan used military force aggressively 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. This law required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for military service. While 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 the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, Congress amended the act, requiring all men between ages 18 and 64 who were in good health to register with their local draft board for military service for the duration of World War II and six months thereafter. In practice, however, only men aged 18 to 45 were inducted. Throughout the war, more than 10 million men were inducted into the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps through the draft. However, most of the men who served, as well as many women, volunteered for military service.
Many men who were too old or otherwise ineligible for combat often served on the home front, performing vital jobs on farms and in factories. Women also filled the positions vacated by men in factories when they were sent overseas to fight.
The draft remained in effect until 1973. This period encompassed the time when millions of men were drafted during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. 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 talented, physically fit, and motivated young Americans.
