Question about the Draft from an old CT

2,564 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 2 mo ago by Aggie Therapist
Quo Vadis?
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I never served, but was having a talk with one of my buddies and he was under the impression that we agreed to be called up as reserves in the event of a draft, before the draft occurred?

I can't remember that long ago (20+ years) but he said when we joined the corps we signed some contract that removed us from the selective service, but only with the agreement that we would be called up before the draft.

Is he brain dead or did we do something like that?
CanyonAg77
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Nothing like that in my day, but draft was winding down by the time I turned 18.

Pretty sure ROTC got you a draft deferment (See: Bill Clinton) , but I don't recall any paperwork
Quo Vadis?
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CanyonAg77 said:

Nothing like that in my day, but draft was winding down by the time I turned 18.

Pretty sure ROTC got you a draft deferment (See: Bill Clinton) , but I don't recall any paperwork


I vaguely recall having to go somewhere and sign something that had to do with the selective service during FOW, but I can't remember anything else about it
CanyonAg77
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https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/changes-from-vietnam-to-now/

Quote:

If a draft were held TODAY, there would be fewer reasons to excuse a man from service. It would be different from the one held during the Vietnam War. It would be the most equitable draft in history.

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.

Under the current draft law, a college student can have his induction postponed only until the end of the current semester. A senior can be postponed until the end of the full academic year.

I imagine if you entered college before that 1971 reform, there would have been some paperwork
Quo Vadis?
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Nope I'm 40
ABATTBQ87
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Quo Vadis? said:

Nope I'm 40
CanyonAg77
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Quo Vadis? said:

Nope I'm 40
Okay, you made me Google.

If I'm reading correctly, Carter signed a bill in 1980 that meant that ROTC students deferred registration with selective service. I suspect that meant that if you quit ROTC for any reason, you had to register. I doubt if it moved you to the head of the line, it just put your name in the hopper with everyone else.

https://www.sss.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/FY2022-NDAA-SEC.-529.pdf

Quote:

As detailed in Figure 1.1, there are four deferments to the Selective Service registration requirement: Active Duty Armed Forces members; Cadets and Midshipmen at Service Academies or Coast Guard Academy; Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) Students; and Students in officer-procurement programs.

CanyonAg77
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Note the cutout for the Senior Military Schools, like A&M.

Since ROTC is already exempt, I assume that last bit would protect cadets who were in something outside of ROTC, such as Marine PLC
Quo Vadis?
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Okay that was it. I'll tell my buddy he's daft. He's convinced they're going to force our old asses into uniform before the next draft
OldArmyCT
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The chances of you seeing a draft in your lifetime are nil. Heck, we might even defund the military and rely on diplomacy to solve problems in the world.
F4GIB71
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I was at A&M from 67-71. Vietnam was going on hot and heavy. Most students received a 2-S student deferment from the draft. If you had an ROTC contract, going into junior year, you had a 1-D Reservist deferment. This was same deferment as the Guard and Reserves. They did a draft lottery my junior year, shortly after we signed our contracts. My number was 66 but I planned to be commissioned and serve at least my two years. After ROTC summer camp in 1970, I found that I could switch to the AF and go to navigator training (without 20/20 that kept me from going AF to begin with).
I switched my last semester and shortly thereafter got a new draft card reclassifying me as 1-A (prime to be drafted). I figure the AF sent in my deferment about the same time as the Army canceled mine. It was no time at all before I got my "Greetings letter" to report for my pre induction draft physical. My physical date was after I was going to be commissioned.
F4GIB71
Joe Schillaci 48
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I enlisted in the USAF in 1963, three weeks before my 18th birthday.As a result I never registered for the draft.However eight years of service (i re-enlisted once) I felt it was time to become a civilian. However every time I had a job search, there was a question to be checked off........Did you register for Selective Service, yes or no. If no, explain. My response was "my Drill Instructor would not excuse me from running the obstacle course.to go register." You would be amazed how many times that question is asked. I had to answer to volunteer as a reading tutor for my child's elementary school.Is there a government office that keeps track of that information these days?
OldArmyCT
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We had a soldier in my Vietnam unit get a draft notice, his dad forwarded it to him. He tried to get travel home to take care of it, that didn't work.
JABQ04
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Can't blame him for trying.
Aggie Therapist
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Quo Vadis? said:

I never served, but was having a talk with one of my buddies and he was under the impression that we agreed to be called up as reserves in the event of a draft, before the draft occurred?

I can't remember that long ago (20+ years) but he said when we joined the corps we signed some contract that removed us from the selective service, but only with the agreement that we would be called up before the draft.

Is he brain dead or did we do something like that?


You seem like you are regretting not joining the military based off this OP and the Tim Walz one.

Have you considered joining the Texas State Guard. They take people of all ages and all shapes and sizes. I've seen them in action at the Texas State Fair. I've never seen a more squared away parking lot detail.
Quo Vadis?
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Aggie Therapist said:

Quo Vadis? said:

I never served, but was having a talk with one of my buddies and he was under the impression that we agreed to be called up as reserves in the event of a draft, before the draft occurred?

I can't remember that long ago (20+ years) but he said when we joined the corps we signed some contract that removed us from the selective service, but only with the agreement that we would be called up before the draft.

Is he brain dead or did we do something like that?


You seem like you are regretting not joining the military based off this OP and the Tim Walz one.

Have you considered joining the Texas State Guard. They take people of all ages and all shapes and sizes. I've seen them in action at the Texas State Fair. I've never seen a more squared away parking lot detail.


I have a lot of regrets for not joining the military. I wanted to fly my whole life, go in the Corps my whole life, and fly fighters for the Marines when I graduated. I got so pissed off when I wasn't able to fly I just went D&C, part of me thinks I should have still commissioned and done something else

Almost all the males in my family have gone in the military. I've done well for myself, I own a large group of companies, I have material wealth but I still feel like less of a man. I do have two friends in the TXSG, unfortunately for the near future I have to live in Abu Dhabi 6 months out of the year.
BigJim49 AustinNowDallas
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CanyonAg77 said:

Nothing like that in my day, but draft was winding down by the time I turned 18.

Pretty sure ROTC got you a draft deferment (See: Bill Clinton) , but I don't recall any paperwork
not in ww2
Trench55
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This is ancient history, but thought some might find it interesting to some. In 1961 I began my Fish year at A&M in company F-1. I was 17 years old. I turned 18 later that month and went up to Dallas to register with the draft. When I told the woman behind the counter that I was there to sign up, she asked me if I was in college, I told her yes that I had just started at A&M, and she asked if I was in the Corps. When I told her I was, she said that because I had entered a college-level ROTC program prior to my 18th birthday, I was exempt from registration as long as I remained in ROTC.

When I graduated in 1966, I was commissioned a 2nd LT in the Army field artillery and served four years on active duty, including a year in Vietnam in 1967. I have never registered for the draft and often tell folks that I'm the ultimate "draft dodger".

Oh, and I'll turn 81 in a couple of weeks.
OldArmyCT
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Trench55 said:

This is ancient history, but thought some might find it interesting to some. In 1961 I began my Fish year at A&M in company F-1. I was 17 years old. I turned 18 later that month and went up to Dallas to register with the draft. When I told the woman behind the counter that I was there to sign up, she asked me if I was in college, I told her yes that I had just started at A&M, and she asked if I was in the Corps. When I told her I was, she said that because I had entered a college-level ROTC program prior to my 18th birthday, I was exempt from registration as long as I remained in ROTC.

When I graduated in 1966, I was commissioned a 2nd LT in the Army field artillery and served four years on active duty, including a year in Vietnam in 1967. I have never registered for the draft and often tell folks that I'm the ultimate "draft dodger".

Oh, and I'll turn 81 in a couple of weeks.
1966 was my fish year, Squadron 6. After Final Review my dad told me he wasn't paying for my lousy grades so I joined the Army and they taught me how to fly helicopters. Vietnam was my signing bonus. After my ETS I was married, went back to A&M, got back in the Corps as a Day Duck and was commissioned in 1973, retired with 20 in 1990. I'm way younger than you are though, I'm 77. Getting back in the Corps when I was a Reserve CW2 was different, especially since I was offered a direct to 1LT in April 1970. My track kept me from getting the RIF in the summer of 1973, I was one of the few Army aviators on Ft Hood without a RIF letter. And I too never registered for the draft.
Aggie Therapist
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Damn.

You have done well for your self.

Nah, don't ruminate on not joining or thinking less of yourself. Everything happens for a reason.

Army is like 5% fun and 95% WTF! I'm sure Marines is 1% fun and 99% this sucks
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