USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -Throughout most of the Vietnam war men who were enrolled in college could obtain deferments that delayed their eligibility for conscription. Anecdotal and quantitative evidence suggests that these deferments were an effective though imperfect way to avoid military service.

Detailed explanation-3: -The large cohort of Baby Boomers allowed for a steep increase in the number of exemptions and deferments, especially for college and graduate students. More than half of the 27 million men eligible for the draft during the Vietnam War were deferred, exempted or disqualified.

Detailed explanation-4: -According to the National Archives, there were about 27 million American men eligible for military service between 1964 and 1973. Of that number, 2, 215, 000 men were drafted into military service. Around 15 million were granted deferments, mostly for education and some for mental or physical problems.

Detailed explanation-5: -As the war went on, selective service requirements, deferments and exemptions changed in an effort to make the draft appear more fair. One of those changes was the institution of a draft lottery, which gave young men a random number between 1 and 366 corresponding to their birthdays. Lower numbers were called first.