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The draft

Kodiakk
You here all the time on the news about low troop levels in Iraq and how we don't have enough men to send over there. If another conflict erupted in either Iraq or North Korea would we be able to sustain troop levels in all theaters without activating the draft? I personally think the draft would be reinstated. What are your thoughts?
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7 comments

Date Votes
  • Kodiakk
    I was speaking with my mother and she was telling me that the draft was still being used after WW2 all the way through Vietnam. Is this true? I thought it stopped after WW2 for some reason.

    Found out some interesting info. My father was drafted for Vietnam which I didn't know I thought he went in on his own. Then I found out my grandfather was a WW2 veteran and fought in Iwo Jima. I also found out my great grandfather on that side fought in WW1 and fought mostly in France she said. I've never been to close to my family so it's surprising to find this stuff out.
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  • Kodiakk
    I know none of you young zipper snappers are olde enough to remember it but...

    Long ago and far away there was a United States military that was populated by conscripted citizens of that Country. Draftees they were called. Many of the citizens opposed the draft. And as time went on so to did the military and political leaders of that United States. The military argued the merits of a professional army. And, they didn't like getting fragged back then either. The politicians, of course, will argue the merit of anything they believe will get them re-elected.

    But in hind sight where are we today boys and girls?

    bobguz
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  • shoff14
    It stopped for a short time period after WW2 and then started back up again. I am not sure of what the dates are on that gap, but it was somewhere between the middle of 1947 and started again during 1948 then ran through 1973. One of my grandfathers was a few months away from being in the draft lottery before the draft was ended. The other grandfather was drafted and went to Germany after the war in the to stay out of Korea. He was in the army from 1948 to 1954.
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  • chollagardens
    If I remember correctly a Army draftee's serial numbers started with US and those that enlisted started with RA. I don't remember how it worked with the National Guard. I do remember there were plenty of draftees during my enlistment from 66 to 69.
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  • bgjohn
    quote:Originally posted by chollagardens
    If I remember correctly a Army draftee's serial numbers started with US and those that enlisted started with RA. I don't remember how it worked with the National Guard. I do remember there were plenty of draftees during my enlistment from 66 to 69.


    National Guard started with NG. During basic training the NG platoon caught all the poop details.
    JM
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  • Dak To 68
    I did Basic at Ft. Leonard Wood Mo. in 1967. The various types of "prefixes", RA, US, NG, and ER, were randomly integrated in the Companies and Platoons, thus no particular "prefix" was singled out for discriminatory, or preferential, treatment by the DIs. They were tough on everybody.
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  • Colt Super
    Fort Ord, 1962.

    All mixed up in the unit, but DIs called NGs, "NFGs".

    Doug
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