USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -When there weren’t enough volunteers to meet the needs of the military, the Selective Service System (the draft) was used to cover the shortfall. After WWII, the U.S. maintained a “peacetime” draft, so the draft already was in place as the U.S. deepened its involvement in Vietnam.

Detailed explanation-3: -Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. Local boards called men classified 1-A, 18-1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first.

Detailed explanation-4: -These draft resisters hoped that their public civil disobedience would help to bring the war and the draft to an end. Many young men went to federal prison as part of this movement. According to Cortright, the draft resistance movement was the leading edge of the anti-war movement in 1967 and 1968.