[LS]

I don't have the numbers handy on drafees vs. volunteers in WW II, but what you say doesn't jibe with Vietnam, where 63% of those who served were volunteers.

[backtothestreets]

You are correct about Viet Nam. Also, approximately seventy percent of those that died in Viet Nam were volunteers. Two-thirds of the men serving during WWII were drafted.

Viet Nam veterans were also the best educated force we had in combat also. Seventy-nine percent had a high school diploma or better. I recall those times and how quickly a guy quitting high school or being expelled could expect to receive a draft notice. It took only a couple weeks, sometimes a month for the pre-induction physical notice to arrive. In retrospect I'm now viewing the military draft as having been a large consideration for young men to complete high school, and that element didn't require the government spending of an additional dime for education and student retention.

I am keenly aware both the Democratic and Republican platforms oppose the draft, as do the lesser political parties. It is a stance the political parties and the nation may one day come to regret.

[matt1234]

I don't have the numbers handy on drafees vs. volunteers in WW II...

Among US service members:

61.2% draftee

38.8% volunteer

Source: World War II Almanac 1931-1945 by Robert Goralski, (c) 1981