Soe Kapaw Doh
Today, people question the government's actions just like they did in the 1960's, and the issue of the draft is as controversial today as it was then. Back in the 1960s, many of the older generation thought that it was a young man's obligation to serve his country. Others felt that the war in Vietnam was unjust so many young men questioned why they should fight if they didn't believe that the war was moral. This paper will focus on the rights and responsibilities of young men who were involved with the Selective Service System during the Vietnam War.
Before discussing the main topic of this paper, it will be necessary to define and explain the word "draft". "Draft, Military, also called conscription or national service, is a system of selecting men, and occasionally women, for required military service. A nation's needs for military personnel determine how long a conscript must serve and the branch of the armed forces in which he or she must serves" 1
According to the Oxford English dictionary the definition of "right" is, "In accordance with or conformable to justice, law, morality, or another standard; in accordance with fact, reason, or truth; correct in a satisfactory state or condition; in a good order, justly." The definition of "responsibility" is "the state, quality, or fact of being responsible; a thing or person that one is answerable for; a duty, obligation, or burden. In my opinion the words right and responsibility are like something that have to do with how you feel about something. Sometimes people do not understand what the word right means, so it is hard to come up with the solution. It is also the same with responsibility. People's understanding of each word may be different, so it may be hard to come to a conclusion about what the rights and responsibilities are if we can't agree on a definition. It could be just a feeling inside of a person how they feel about what are they going to do whether it is their right or it is their responsibility.
The right and responsibilities of young men subject to the draft during the Vietnam War era were often in conflict. Peer pressure from friends, family or the church made the men feel that they would have to go and serve in the military. Whether it was by deferment, leaving the country, not registering for the draft, burning their draft cards (which could land them in jail), or simply not showing up when called, many young men became obsessed with avoiding the draft.
NATURE AND FUNCTION OF THE DRAFT
Conscription began in the United States during the Civil War. The First and Second World Wars also saw young Americans drafted into the military. During the 1960s, as the Vietnam conflict grew the U.S. military needed more and more soldiers. The system of conscription that had been in use since the World War II was ready to fill those manpower needs.
All male American citizens were required to register for the draft with the Selective Service System when they reached the age of 18. Registration did not mean that these young men were drafted. However, if the country needed them, they might be called up anytime.
The Selective Service System had established categories of draft eligibility. For instance a person could be excused from military service if one of their parents had been killed while serving in the armed forces or if one of their parents were in active military service. A category called Conscientious Objector (CO) was available for those individuals who for reasons of religious belief felt they were unable to participate in a war. "During the war, the Selective Service System, prodded by the Supreme Court, relaxed its definition of conscientious objection. As a consequence, 170,000 men received that status, of whom close to one-third evaded alternate service"2 Many Quakers (Society of Friends) fell into this category.
Men who failed to pass a pre-induction physical examination were designated 4-F and excused from service. More importantly, during the Vietnam Conflict it was possible for many young men to evade the draft by attending a college or university. A student deferment, category 2-S, would excuse an individual who was studying full time for an undergraduate degree. According to Michael Kucz, "certain professions, like medicine and theology might qualify a student for an even longer deferment." According to Michael Brophy, a Milwaukee draft counselor…to evade is to avoid something by deceitful means. The draft evaders are in the Reserves or the National Guard, seminaries and other educational institutions…" 3."Of the 27 million men eligible for conscription during the Vietnam era, 8,720,000 enlisted, often to beat the draft: 2,215,000 were drafted: and almost 16 million never served. Of that 16 million, 15,410,000 were deferred, exempted, or disqualified…"4
This complicated system of eligibility, deferments and exemptions came under increasing criticism during the Vietnam War. It was widely regarded as unfair especially to minorities and the poor. A large number of draftees were poor, undereducated, unemployed and usually lived in the inner city. According to Baskir and Strauss, "the young men who fought and died in Vietnam were primarily society's "losers," the same men who got left behind in school, jobs, and the rest of life's competition." 5 Many African Americans fell into this category. While we were fighting a war abroad, the civil rights movement was going on back home. African Americans often did supply a disproportionate number of combat troops, a high percentage of whom had voluntarily enlisted. Although they made up less than 10 percent of American men in arms and about 13 percent of the U.S. population between 1961 and 1966, they accounted for almost 20 percent of all combat-related deaths in Vietnam during that period" 6 . Civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King accused the government of racism describing "the Vietnam conflict as racist &endash; a while man's war, a black man's fight." 7 "Furthermore, African American were woefully underrepresented on local draft boards: in 1966 blacks accounted for slightly more than 1% percent of all draft board members, and seven state boards had no black representation at all…" 8
By the late 1960s, the civil rights movement was becoming more militant. Riots and demonstrations by African Americans put pressure on the government to change the draft rules. As a result of this criticism the Selective Service System changed the way it administered the draft. In 1969 a Draft Lottery was begun. "A lottery drawing &endash; the first since 1942 &endash; was held on December 1, 1969, at Selective Service National headquarters in Washington, D.C. This event determined the order of call for induction during calendar year 1970, that is, for registrants born between January 1,1944, and December 31, 1950. Reinstitution of the lottery was a change from the "draft the oldest man first" method, which had been the determining method for deciding order of call. There were 366 blue plastic capsules containing birth dates placed in a large glass container and drawn by hand to assign order-of-call numbers to all men within the 18-26 age range specified in Selective Service law." 9
How did this affect African Americans and minorities? It still didn't change the number of young African American men being drafted; however, the United States Department of Defense made a strong effort to reduce the minorities' share of the fighting. "That share was reduced to 16% in 1966, 13% in 1968. In 1970 the figure for all services was under 9 percent." 10 In addition, racial sensitivity training was begun in the military.
CONSEQUENCES FOR AMERICAN SOCIETY
Because the Vietnam conflict was so controversial American society was deeply affected. Those who avoided military service found themselves accused of being unpatriotic or, worse, cowards. However, many young men who didn't serve in Vietnam made no apologies. A Delaware defense worker said, "I got a good steady job. I'm making good money and having a ball every weekend. Why the hell should I want to go?" 11 For some that went to expensive schools they justified their deferment by saying, "if I lost a couple of years, it would $16,000 to me. I know I sound selfish, but, by God, I paid $10,000 to get this education." 12
This is the first war that America did not win and many felt ashamed of what we did to the people of Vietnam. For many, not winning in Vietnam brought down our self-esteem. We questioned how a small, poor country could beat the mightiest military and industrial power in the world. The country was frustrated and we took out this frustration on our returning soldiers and those who didn't serve.
It has now been proven that the Johnson administration lied to the American people about Vietnam. The public was told we were winning the war &endash; when we weren't. The American public was upset, and refused to blindly follow their government. This is a major consequence today. People are afraid to believe their government today about what going is going on in Iraq. Vietnam has made the public more skeptical and cynical about our leaders. If they lied once, why can't they lie again?
Another consequence of Vietnam is the draft. Some in congress want to reinstate the draft today. This has proven to be very controversial and is again dividing the country.
In the years following American withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, the military's dependence upon the draft was eliminated as a matter of policy. The Selective Service System, as amended by Congress in 1971, still exists and could be used again if the need arose. Currently, however, the military depends on an all-volunteer force and high-tech weaponry to be effective.
If there were to be another draft, the birthday lottery system would still be used. New legislation now requires that draft boards more closely reflect the ethnicity of the young men under their jurisdiction. Student deferments would also be reevaluated.
In conclusion, the rights and responsibilities of young men during the Vietnam conflict were seriously questioned. Each person and their families dealt with this passionate issue in different ways. Some went and came home; some went and did not. Some felt it was their patriotic duty; others felt the war was unjust and they refused to serve. To me, it is all a matter of an individual's conscience.