Conscientious Objectors In The Korean War

It was not difficult for Americans to avoid the draft. "For most, the structure of the deferments and their exemptions worked to their benefit without requiring them to take any significant steps to manipulate the system."3 They simply practiced their legal rights by applying for deferments or receiving physical exemptions among a list of other possible appeals. There were those who were truly in no position go to Vietnam, but there were also those who went to severe measures to escape it.4

In today’s time and age a person volunteers to join any branch in the United States military. Draft is still around but ever since the Vietnam times no branch has had to draft any man or woman. Even back in the draft days they became available for drafting once they turned 18. Because they are fresh out of high school at this age is a key factor in the decision, meaning they are ready to face the next chapter in their lives that life threw at them.

On August 7th 1964 the United States Congress passed into law the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which, for all intents and purposes, officially brought the United States into the Vietnam War. Following this resolution, a draft was instated to increase the number of men that could be sent to war. Shortly after men started to be signed into conscription for the United States Military, a public outcry started over the use of a draft to increase military size. The draft was found to be unfair to American Citizens because certain groups of men were severely disadvantaged, the draft was illegal in many ways, and veteran’s future lives were harmed, among other reasons.

In the middle 1960s, every male in America had to register for Selective Service Draft at age 18. He would then be eligible for the draft and could be inducted into the Army for a period of two years. If you were a college student, you could receive a deferment and would be able to finish college without the fear of being drafted. However, once finished with college, a students name would be put to the very top of the draft list and could be deployed at anytime. The anti-war movement was about young men being drafted and then sent into war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the US. The Vietnam War was America’s rebellious war, a war without popular support

Conscription, or more boldly the draft, has not been in place for some thirty years. While some people cringe at the thought of reinstating the draft, others have different views. This short paper will speak of those different views and the reasons why conscription of military service may not be such a bad idea after all.

The Vietnam War started on November 1, 1955, and ended on April 30,1975. When the North Vietnamese Army(Vietcong) took Saigon, South Vietnam's capital, killing thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese soldiers in the process, the war came to disastrous conclusion. The war was sought out to be a victory, however, falling short with internal problems. The war was very unpopular and caused many disruptions with drafting, costing the United States billions of dollars and generating hate towards the veterans who served. Draft Evasion is an intentional decision not to comply with military action, regardless of the position they’re called for, and was one of many reasons for the deprivation of the war. Refusing to submit to the draft was considered

The draft started on April 16, 1862 for the Confederate States during the Civil War. The Union then conducted their own draft on March 3, 1863. The Northern 1862 draft was an attempt to let states handle their own conscriptions, instead of the old volunteer militia. The next draft took place on September 16, 1940 for World War I and remained in effect continuously until 1973. The president, Woodrow Wilson, decided that “A draft was needed and nearly 3,000,000 soldiers were drafted following the Service Act of 1917.” (Understanding the U.S. Military Draft History 1). The reasoning behind President Wilson calling for the draft is because “Before the draft only 73,000 soldiers volunteered during the first 6 weeks of World War I” (Understanding the U.S. Military Draft History 1). Before July of 1973 “The draft was in effect continuously from 1940 to 1973” (Smith 1). This means that more than 10,000,000 men were drafted and sent off into battle throughout the past wars.

Yes, congress ended the draft back in 1973, but they also authorized a stop-loss order, which means each branch of the

Mentioned by Jessie Kindig in Draft Resistance in the Vietnam Era, “draft evasion and draft resistance reached a historic peak, nearly crippling the Selective Service System.”(Kindig 2008). Of course those who ended up being selected for service were predominantly poor minorities. The rich could afford to go to college thus excusing them from service. Consequentially any deferment was much easier to get if you could afford to attempt to, and if you were Caucasian. It was clear to see that the draft boards were corrupt. According Bacevich the executive director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C in his article “Who will serve?” describes,

For most of American history men, and women have rose to the occasion in times of war, and joined. Women served as nurses, and cooks, while the men fought. This idea of fighting for our country is slowly fading; the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam war, and the Korean War all used drafts. What if everyone was required to spend two years in the military? When did the idea of fighting for one’s country, one’s freedom, leave the minds of young adults in the country. A two year draft might not affect you, but your children, your grandchildren, and so forth deserve to live in a country that is great. Fighting for your country should be something everyone takes part in; we should not take our freedom for granted; the United States of America has your back, give the country

* Selective Service Act-forced draft boards to induct them for combatant or noncombatant duty depending on the nature of their objections

In document one, “Excerpt from The Great Draft Riots”, a poor man who was a rioter, got called to be drafted wrote about himself and comrades trying to defend them. This man was going to be drafted in 1863 and he, along with many others couldn’t afford to get out of being drafted which cost around $300. Many were worried about being called to be drafted. “We love our wives and children more than the rich, because we’ve not got much besides them; and we will not go and leave them at for to starve (Excerpt from The Great Draft Riots).” This quote from the poor man shows how much they feared the draft and what they felt near the end of this long war.

When Pearly Harbor was attacked, America’s isolation had ended and they were thrust into a war that they did not want to be in once again. As war began to progress American men were needed for war. Many began registering, however the U.S needed more men. This lead to President Roosevelt declaring the first peacetime draft, which required men eighteen to sixty-four to be registered in war. Deuteronomy 20:4 says “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory”. The American military soon began to boom with more and more men registered in the military, roughly ten million soldiers had entered the war through the draft. America now faced a big task of raising and training a credible

Not everyone wishes to follow Caputo's desire to be the hero charging the undulating hills, lush jungles and grasslands of Vietnam. The need for high numbers of military units during the height of the Vietnam War required a draft. At first, the draft is designed to be a pool which unfortunately results

Throughout human history, war has permeated the lives of billions of people. From early conflicts such as conquests to control vast swaths of land by Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great to modern, global wars such as the World Wars, the concept of war has been at the forefront of humanity’s mind for centuries. However, in recent years, opposition to war and lack of participation in the military has become a common theme in many countries, including the United States. To help alleviate the troubles caused by lack of participation, the United States instituted a law allowing for the conscription of its citizens. Conscription, which can also be referred to as a draft, is defined as the compulsory drafting of citizens into military service (What). The Draft has been utilized throughout US History in a couple of prominent wars; however, opposition has manifested against the Vietnam War and the draft, rightfully stemming from ethical opposition to the war and hatred for what the war and the draft stood for.