The Draft

[Walt's Daughter]

The Draft

 

The draft began on October 16, 1940. The US government required that all men between the ages of 21 and 35 register with their local draft boards for possible service. Three draft boards operated in Outagamie County.

The draft eventually targeted men as young as 18 and as old as 64. Outagamie County draft boards registered 23,351 men. Draft boards around the country registered 50 million men by the war's end.

 

Draft boards registered men and classified them into the following categories:

 

Class I: available for service

Class II: deferred because of an essential job

Class III: deferred because of dependency or hardship

Class IV: deferred because of age, health, or other factors

 

Draft boards considered deferments temporary and drew men from deferred classes when the government needed more soldiers.

 

Army requirements for male recruits included:

 

height of 5 feet

weight of 105 pounds

have at least half of his natural teeth

no flat feet

no hernia

no venereal diseases

literate (the Army waived this requirement by the war's end)

The average male draftee stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighed 144 pounds, had a 33 1/2-inch chest, a 31-inch waist, and wore a size 9 1/2 D shoe.

 

Army requirements for female recruits included:

 

height of 5 feet

weight of 100 pounds

2 years of high school

age 21 to 45

references

police check

childless

 

The government never drafted women. Women volunteered for the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). The Corp became a full Army branch in 1943 and renamed itself the Women's Army Corps (WAC).

 

The average female soldier stood 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighed 128 pounds, had a 26 1/2-inch waist, and wore a size 6-B shoe.

 

[Walt's Daughter]

Does anyone have a copy of their WWII draft notice? If so, can you scan and send me a copy via email? Thanks in advance. Will be used in my documentary.

[SonofaMP]

One 1942 draft notice coming your way M

[j3rdinf]

"The draft eventually targeted men as young as 18 and as old as 64.". Are you sure of that? Seems I recall it went to 18 to 45 and no older. Sorry I cant relate as I enlisted

in the Army at age 17 in 1943 and didnt get a draft notice to my knowledge.

[roque_riojas]

I wuz drafted at 20. I think the draft notice went to the outhouse along with

the Sears catalog. RJR

[SonofaMP]

I found my grandfather`s WWII Draft Registration Card on Ancestry.com, he was 63 in `42,

according to the database description: The Fourth Registration, often refered to as the "old man`s registration" was conducted on 27 April 1942 & registered men who

were born on or between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 - men who were between 45 and 64 years old, and were not already in the military.

[Walt's Daughter]

Hey Larry:

 

Thanks. Got it this evening! Appreciate your help.

[j3rdinf]

Once again: "The draft eventually targeted men as young as 18 and as old as 64."

Now was this top age really used for drafting into the Military? I kinda doubt it. Lets hear from anyone with proven facts where people from 45+ to 64 were actually drafted into the military. "Registering" for the draft is one thing (reguardless of age) is one thing, but

being drafted at this age into the military is another thing.

[SonofaMP]

I found a little more info on the "old man draft", seems it was used as a type of

"Occupational Census" and not intended as a draft for military service. It was organized to document the men’s skills for possible use later in the war. After registering, the men were sent three-page occupational questionnaires.

 

“The purpose of this questionnaire was to secure special information on the industrial capacity and training of the registrants. The United States Employment Service furnished a list of 190 special occupations which were regarded at the time as critical.â€

[Walt's Daughter]

Here's more about the "fourth draft"

 

http://genealogy.about.com/od/records/p/wwii_draft.htm

 

From Kimberly Powell,

Your Guide to Genealogy.

 

Millions of men living in America completed draft registration cards between 1940 and 1943 as part of the WWII draft. The majority of these draft cards are not yet open to the public for privacy reasons, but almost 6 million WWII draft cards completed during the fourth registration by men between the ages of 42 and 64 in 1942 are available for research. This registration, known as the "Old Man's Draft" provides a great deal of information on the men who participated, including their full name, address, physical characteristics, and date and place of birth.

Record Type: Draft registration cards, original records (microfilm and digital copies also available)

Location: U.S., although some individuals of foreign birth are also included.