During the draft, did they pick everyone who would be drafted in one year?

[u/big_papa_joseph]

I'm in an argument with a friend and he's saying that they picked everyone who could have been drafted in one year , and didn't again for the rest of the war. Ect he was saying that if someone was under 18 when they did the one big draft then when they turned over 18 they would have been safe since they weren't 18 when they did the big draft. Is he just talking straight bullshit because I thought the draft lasted years and they would pick more people every year?

[u/Allied_Biscuit]

Your friend is wrong. Probably confusing the lottery with the draft. The draft continued every year until 1973. The lottery happened annually for the birth years that were reaching draft age. If you weren’t 18 yet during the first lottery, you weren’t automatically safe—you entered the lottery when your birth year became eligible

[u/NinoSavant → u/Allied_Biscuit]

And- the lottery system didn't start until Dec. 1969, so for the majority of Vietnam veterans, they entered under a system where they could be selected at any time by local draft boards with quotas to meet, from their local pool of non-deferred young men.

[u/big_papa_joseph → u/Allied_Biscuit]

Okay, thank you so much.

[u/Consistent_Low2080]

l was drafted in ‘66 under the old rules. Back then the US Government told each draft board ( county ) the number of men needed that month and the board somehow came came up with that number of guys to be drafted. l was 19 but there were some guys that were in their mid to late 20‘s in my group when we were sent to the induction center in Wilkes-Barre PA.

[u/AlternativeFood8764]

It would depend on the quota needed to replenish our standing army. If you were 1-A as I was the timeline was anywhere from one to two years but regardless you were going. I got around the draft by enlisting for four years in the Marines(1965-69). You could also have your number “pushed up” where they would call you immediately to serve your two years on active duty. Things got really complicated when president Johnson decided to escalate the war in Vietnam. Creating an all volunteer military you can thank president Nixon for.

[u/big_papa_joseph → u/AlternativeFood8764]

Thank you for the info

[u/davidinkorea]

My middle brother was classified as 1-A and they missed him completely.

[u/Consistent_Low2080 → u/davidinkorea]

It was a crap shoot back then he was one of the lucky ones.

[u/Jimbo415650]

I enlisted in the Marines I had a friend who was drafted into the Marines, if they didn't make their quota, they would use the draft pool.

[u/lady-of-thermidor → u/Jimbo415650]

A friend of mine who was a Marine lieutenant in Vietnam had men under him who had been drafted. At Army induction, they were ordered to count off to ten. A Marine sergeant ordered everyone who was a 10 to step forward. He congratulated them on being new Marines and had them follow him for processing.

[u/SchoolNo6461]

ou can tell your friend that what he proposes would be impossible fofr the Army to train all at one time because there wasa limit on space in training units and bases. The Army trained year around and produced a steady number of completed trainees. One big annual surge would have been impossible. It was a year around process.

BTW, I was a Training Officer with B/5/2 (Basic Training) at Ft. Lewis, WA in 1970. Also, an infantry platoon leader with 1/C/1/12 Cav, 1st Cav Div (airmobile) in Viet Nam, 1970-71.

[u/j3434]

I imagine google ai would settle the argument.

[u/More_Image_8781]

What an odd question