Draft Evasion During The Vietnam War

Draft Evasion For many years, draft evasion has played a large part in the outcome of wars in the United States. Draft evasion, more commonly referred to as draft dodging, is the intentional decision to not comply with orders from one’s government regarding military conscription, or the enlistment for state service. During the Vietnam War, the draft was very popular as there was a shortage of volunteer military personnel to fight the war that lasted nearly two decades. As a result of this, many young men were forced into military service by the American government. At first, many complied with orders to partake in the war, however, over time many became resistant. The United States’ mandate for conscription during the Vietnam War led

At the beginning of the war, the Selective Service System collected the names of all draft-age men and were selected for service from this compilation (The Vietnam War Info). From there, the men drafted were examined and evaluated by local boards composed of residents within the draftees town. This created an unfair advantage for men who knew board members, as these men were often times deemed “incapable” of performing their duties and therefore received medical deferments, exempting them from the war. These men, deemed “incapable”, were more times than not men from wealthy families that bribed the board members out of being selected for

According to the selective service system, a conscientious objector is defined as “... one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles” (SSS.gov). Many of these men included men that were Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites, Quakers, or the Amish. These religions were all considered to be “Peace religions” which condemn the concept of war therefore allowing members of said religions to avoid military service (We are the Mighty). In theory, dishonest conscientious objection is illegal, however it is generally hard to prove that one is telling the truth on these matters to begin with. In addition to conscientious objectors, clergymen and missionaries were exempt from the draft. The exemption of missionaries was how former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney dodged being drafted, as he went to France for two years during the Vietnam War as a Mormon