Why I Hated The Draft

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Tim O’Brien, a famous author, once stated, “I hated the draft, but at the same time, it’s something that made every American take war seriously” (BrainyQuote). This quote brings light on the fact that not everyone favored the war, although it ultimately opened the eyes of the people on the fact of how detrimental war really was, especially the Vietnam War. The draft is a government ran lottery type system to help solve conflict on who would serve during times of crisis. The draft should not have been made as it caused fear, high death rates and caused families to break apart. Why the draft was formed, how people avoided it and if it is still around today will be the topics used in proving that the draft should not have been used. Back in …show more content…

One legal way was to have health conditions that would exempt you from participating in the war. This included mental and physical illnesses. Things like ulcers, hepatitis, gastritis and diabetic were all physical conditions that people had or claimed to have, so they would be denied entrance. If you were enrolled in college or was involved in an industry that was important to war efforts you would be excluded from the draft. This ultimately created a bias towards educated and wealthy young men. (“Vietnam War Draft Dodgers Pardoned 1974 History.”). Many other people who didn’t have a physical illness or the luxury to attend college would stay awake for days, take illegal drugs, or do anything detrimental to there health so the military would reject them. Another way men avoided going to war were to flee the country. Many men saw Canada as a way to escape war. About 125,000 draftees fled to Canada in hopes of seeking refuge from the draft and war. (“11 Ways People Dodged the Vietnam Draft.”). While going to Canada many stayed even after the war was over eventually claiming their citizenship, about half came back when President Carter granted them amnesty in the late 1970’s. A Draft Dodger was a nickname given to those who decided to run north from the draft (War Resisters Remain in Canada with No Regrets). The draft changed many lives as people had to pack up everything and flee out of fear of dying, …show more content…

The last time it was used was in 1973 towards the end of the Vietnam War. With the extinction of the draft, it relieved many men as they knew they would no longer have to fear when or who would be the next one drafted. “Young men today no longer face the prospect of being called to compulsory military duty” (Moody, R. Norman). Many people would say the ending of the draft was a good thing. People especially young men wouldn’t have to worry about leaving their whole lives behind, when they would return, or if they would. With out the draft they can focus more on education and further building their lives. On the other hand some people still support the draft and what it stood for. The draft stood to fill potions that the amount of volunteers couldn’t, there were still a demand for solders even with the exceptional amount of volunteers. As of today there is a requirement for all men to sign up for Selective Service System (SSS) when they turn 18. Although individuals that have a non-immigrant visas are exempt from the SSS. The Selective Service is back up system to the draft. “In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in a sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth (Registration). When registering for the SSS one is not signing up for the draft, the draft has not been used in years it is just a back up plan for times of crisis. It is the law to register within 30 days before males 18th birthday and 30 days

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