What was the draft age in Vietnam?

Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. Local boards called men classified 1-A, 18-1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first.

Can you be drafted at age 35?

Present - The U.S. currently operates under an all-volunteer armed forces policy. All male citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 are required to register for the draft and are liable for training and service until the age of 35.

What was draft age in ww2?

The Draft and WWII

On September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. This was the first peacetime draft in United States' history.

What birthdays were chosen for the Vietnam draft?

On December 1, 1969, the Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War in the year 1970, for men born from January 1, 1944 to December 31, 1950.

What was age cutoff for draft?

If Congress and the president authorize a draft: The Selective Service System will start calling registered men ages 18-25 for duty.

The Vietnam War Draft

Who Cannot be drafted?

Ministers. Certain elected officials, exempt so long as they continue to hold office. Veterans, generally exempt from service in peacetime draft. Immigrants and dual nationals in some cases may be exempt from U.S. military service depending upon their place of residence and country of citizenship.

What disqualifies you from the draft?

Who was not drafted in Vietnam?

Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites, the Amish, and Quakers are all considered Peace Churches who are opposed to any kind of military service. They were allowed to serve in other ways, however, but in a civilian capacity. Dishonest conscientious objection would be illegal.

What type of person was typically drafted for Vietnam?

Most of U.S. soldiers drafted during the Vietnam War were men from poor and working-class families. These were young men who were not going get a college deferment, have a political connection, or have a family doctor that could give them a medical deferment.

How many years did the Vietnam draft last?

The military draft brought the war to the American home front. During the Vietnam War era, between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. military drafted 2.2 million American men out of an eligible pool of 27 million.

What is the max draft age in USA?

For example, if a draft were held in 2020, those men born in 2000 would be considered first. Men turning 21 in the year of the draft would be second priority, men turning 22 would be third, and so on until a man turns 26, at which time he is over the age of liability.

Who gets drafted first for war?

According to the selective service, if a draft were held today, those who are 20 years old -- or turning 20 during the year in which the numbers are drawn -- would be the first to go.

Can the US reinstate the draft?

Can the US still institute a draft? Draft induction authority expired in 1973. It would take an act of Congress to reinstate the draft. The president would then be authorized to induct civilians through the Selective Service Administration into the armed forces under an amendment to the Military Selective Service Act.

Can felons be drafted into war?

Can a felon be drafted to military? Usage. United States military recruiting standards vary according to branch; however, most felonies are excluded from the felony waiver. A felony that occurs below the age of criminal responsibility is more likely to be waived; likelihood decreases if the felony occurred as an adult.

Can an only son go to war?

According to current regulations and directives, being an only son/daughter does not constitute sole surviving son/daughter status with regard to service in the Armed Forces. The fact that a son/daughter is the only child or son/daughter does not exempt him from serving overseas or in a combat zone.

Did you get drafted to Vietnam if you were in college?

Technically, men who had held college or other deferments were eligible for induction until age 35. Since few men between the ages of 26 and 35 were ever drafted, however, men who were able to maintain a college deferment until their 26th birthday could avoid service.

What were the chances of being drafted in Vietnam?

Although only 25 percent of the military force in the combat zones were draftees, the system of conscription caused many young American men to volunteer for the armed forces in order to have more of a choice of which division in the military they would serve.

What number did the Vietnam draft get to?

Draft-age men were assigned a number between one and 366, depending on their birthday.

Who refused to fight in the Vietnam War?

On June 20, 1967, the great Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston for refusing induction in the U.S. armed forces. Ali saw the war in Vietnam as an exercise in genocide.

Could college students avoid the Vietnam draft?

Before Congress reformed the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress in virtually any field of study. He could continue to go to school and be deferred from service until he was too old to be drafted.

Why the Vietnam draft was unfair?

The other one-third were drafted, primarily into the Army. The Selective Service System during the Vietnam war was highly controversial, especially because early in the war draftees came disproportionately from poor, working-class, rural, and minority populations.

How tall is too tall for the military?

The ideal height requirement for men in the military is between 60-80 inches / 152-203 cm. Anyone above or below this requirement is likely to get rejected.

How do you avoid being drafted?

Draft avoidance

Claiming conscientious objector status on the basis of sincerely held religious or ethical beliefs. Claiming a student deferment, when one is in school primarily in order to study and learn. Claiming a medical or psychological problem, if the purported health issue is genuine and serious.

Can diabetics be drafted?

Those individuals who attempt to enlist will be subject to the diabetes ban if diagnosed with diabetes requiring any form of medication, or who do not take medication but have an A1C above 7%, because they will not meet the standards of retention.