Date: Tue, 15 Jan 91 12:18:58 -0700 From: Patrick Juola Subject: For those of you with questions about draft deferments.... How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Draft Patrick "kitten" Juola Please feel free to redistribute this to all your friends, if they want it. Heck, feel free to distribute it to your enemies, if they want it. Or if they don't. I don't mind. Really. After all, it's not *my* disk space.... -k. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In response to a deluge of requests (primarily from the junk mailing list), here is the Real Stuff about the draft. For the record, I am a draft counselor with the American Friends Service Committee, and most of the material in here is straight out of the NIBSCO Draft Counselors Manual. But, please, everyone, bear in mind that free legal advice can be very expensive -- if you want to play mind games with the Selective Service System, talk to a draft counselor or an attorney first. First, how the draft works. Conscription is done by age, based on year. of birth. As I write, it is 1991. I was born in 1966, so I will turn 25 this year, putting me in the "age 25 selection group". Someone born in 1971, therefore, is in the "age 20" group. Registrants are called in the following order : 1) Volunteers (yeah, right!) 2) Previous registrants whose deferments or postponements have expired. (i.e. if you get a postponement until the end of the semester, you get called up QUICKLY after that). 3) The age 20 group, followed by age 21, 22,... 25. N) The age 19 group. N+1) The age 18 group. There are approximately 2 million men in each group, so if you were born in 1970 or earlier, you are *probably* safe -- I doubt that we can kill off a million people a year. There are only five deferments available : 4-F (Unfit for Service) is the usual physical check. About half of the people called (in Vietnam) fell into this category; we are apparently a society of real couch potatoes. This also includes mental aberrations, for which an Army Doctor needs to agree on the diagnosis, and homosexuality, which is (contrary to fact) considered a form of mental illness. 4-F also includes the people who (as popularized by Arlo Guthrie) "may not be moral enough to burn women, children, houses, and villages." This is usually a felony conviction or a LOT of misdemeanor convictions, and the Army may be willing to waive this, so it's not a guaranteed out. 1-O are Conscientious Objectors; they are required to serve two years in an alternative service (usually changing bedpans in hospitals). It's actually not quite as difficult to get as some people believe -- during 'Nam, over 95% of the people who appealed their denial of a CO claim won it on appeal. But you need a good counselor or a good lawyer to pull this one off. 4-G (Surviving Son) is what most people think of as the "only son" deferment. In short, if you have had a father, mother, or blood sibling killed in action or in the line of duty, killed by wounds received (in the line of duty), or declared MIA, you are eligible for a deferment. *This is not available, unfortunately, if Congress declares a war or a national emergency.* There is no "only son" deferment. 3-A (Hardship) deferments are available to people whose absence would cause serious problems for their dependents and who have no one else who can take over the responsibilities. 2-D (Ministry Student) and 4-D (Minister) are self-explanatory. And probably useless for most people. But, if you join a seminary, you can get out of going to the war. Thoses are all the available *deferments* -- i.e., as long as those conditions persist, you will not be drafted. There are also a few postponements available, which will keep you out of the war for a few months. High school students can finish their degrees (up to age 20, and even beyond if they are in their final year). College students can finish the current semester, and college seniors can finish their year. The 4-S deferment no longer exists, unfortunately. ROTC scholarship students can stay in school forever. There are also minor deferments for things like being scheduled for a professional examination (like medical boards or bar exams) or medical emergencies. Again, mostly useless. That's basically the lot. Some notable things that are *not* included are : only son deferment, student deferment, and protected industry deferments. Although, Colorado and Massachusetts residents might like to know that working for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is apparently, legally, the equivalent of serving in the Armed Forces. I don't, however, know that loophole well enough to recommend it. Finally, if you are interested in pursuing a CO claim or have any questions, I'm available at juola@boulder.colorado.edu. The real professionals are the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors, (NIBSCO), at 1601 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste. 750, Washington DC. In the Denver area, the folks who trained me are American Friends Service Committee, at 1535 High St., 3rd Floor, Denver, CO 80218. Any of us can probably help answer further questions. Peace, - kitten Patrick Juola // juola@boulder.colorado.edu // kitten@ai.mit.edu