Questions about being drafted into the army??

Question

I am 13 and someone in my family made a comment today about being drafted into the army. It's kind of beating me up...I am so scared. Fill me in...

How old are you when you get drafted?

How long do you serve?

Do you do training??

Any jobs beside shooting & killing??

It is not in my religion that you can't fight in a war, but I don't believe in killing people to get what you want. Does that make a difference?

Any likely hood of a draft ever happening again?

...etc.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You're in high school right? you should join the jrotc program, they will give you a better understanding of the military. The draft you wont have to worry about until you turn 18, if there is ever a war in the us you will automatically be drafted to the military, but if you do rotc in high school and college you could do a desk job away from all the shooting, before that you have to do training, everyone has to learn how to shoot anyway.

Answer 2

THERE WILL NOT BE A DRAFT.

Read this article:

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/wars/a/dr...

It explains exactly why a draft is an ineffective solution to modern warfare. We're doing quite well being an all-volunteer force, thank you.

Answer 3

Very low chance of a draft happening in the US, unless this whole Russia/Georgia thing blows up.

-You register for the draft when you're 18, whether there is currently a draft or not.

-You serve until the war is over, or until they decide to let you go.

-Yes, you train first.

-You can do any job, but I don't think you can pick

-Religion rarely works as an excuse

Answer 4

I will answer each of your questions.

How old are you when you get drafted? 18

How long do you serve? It varies. In World War 2, draftees usually served until the war ended. In Vietnam, the minimum term was 2 years and if assigned to combat duty, you served a minimum of 1 year.

Do you do training?? Your training starts after you report to a base. Although there are exceptions, draftees are usually assigned jobs. Enlistees can request a particular job. No matter what job you are trained for, in basic training, you will learn to fire weapons.

Any jobs beside shooting & killing?? Lots of non-shooting jobs are available in support functions. Even some medics in combat carry more first aid material instead of a weapon.

It is not in my religion that you can't fight in a war, but I don't believe in killing people to get what you want. Does that make a difference? Only religion can be offered as a legitimate excuse.

Any likely hood of a draft ever happening again? Yes, it is possible. But I don't think it will happen unless a World War 3 occurs.

Yes, military is definitely NOT what I want to do, but if there is a draft, do you have a choice??? During the Vietnam War, when a person was drafted and did not want to serve, they had a choice of being arrested or leaving the country.

When I turn 18, how long would I be eligible for a draft? The current law affects men and women between 18 and 26.

Is it true that if Obama is elected president there is a good chance that a draft will be reinstated??  I really don't know.

Answer 5

There has not been a draft since the Vietnam War. You wont be drafted under the age of 18. The time you serve varies depending on how desperate the situation is. You do training depending on which branch you are serving in. You can say you are a "conscientious objector" meaning that they wont make you shoot people but you could become a medic or a corpsman and get shot at anyway. And there are way more jobs in the military other then being the man with the gun shooting people. And finally the likelihood of another draft is minimal (at the moment). Here in the United States we are very proud to say we have an all volunteer military.

I hope i answered all your questions and don't worry you most likely will never be drafted.

Answer 6

1st your not killing to get what you want you kill to keep them from killing you or you friends.

If we have a draft it is bad very bad and it is fight or lose all you have ever known.

Yes there are more non-fighting jobs than fighting.

Answer 7

You have to be 18 to serve in a Theater. Yes, you would train and you would fight as long as you had to until the threat was neutralized. No, if there were a Draft it would be for Combat role's probably.

Answer 8

Then pray your parents vote Republican...because there is a bill in congress sponsored by the democrats to restart the draft.

Answer 9

5 years before you'd be old enough don't worry yet,  

Answer 10

Chill out..You have to be 17 with parental consent, so I imagine a draft would be 18.  If there was going to be a draft, you would get drafted by the marines or the army and go straight to the infantry.  If you joined freely you could pick any job.  Generally a draft only keeps you for one tour overseas..You're too young to have strong morals about killing because you don't know about anything.  But, if there is a draft, your butt better go if you're called..

Answer 11

If we ever go to war with the Russian there will be a draft. No way around that. But, I dont think we will go to war with them at this point. You would have to be 18 to be drafted BTW. Its hightly unlikely but not impossible. If a draft did happen, they would most likely put you into a combat job, unless you can prove its against your morals to kill (pastor), then they might make you do another job like medic.

Answer 12

If you are referring to the United States Army, do not worry yourself.  There is no military draft in this country and will not be one in the foreseeable future.  The American military is a 100% volunteer force.

Answer 13

There is no draft at present, nor is there likely to be one any time soon.  Never say "never" of course, but the likelihood is remote IMHO.  However should it ever be reinstituted you would be required to report if ordered and unless you were medically disqualified or otherwise unfit for service, such as for a serious criminal record, you would be required to serve.  Failure to report when called  is a crime and typically would pull a couple of years in a Federal prison.

When you turn 18 you will be required to register with Selective Service however that's only so that there will be a ready pool of possible applicants should a draft ever be implemented.  You automatically drop out of that pool once you turn age 27.

The last draft ended in the early 1970s and at that time it was a 2-year commitment.  Basically you went wherever you were told to go and did what you were told to do.  Those who enlisted voluntarily had a better chance of not being sent to a war zone or being assigned to a direct combat skill but that was really more as a matter of degrees than anything else.  

It was possible to apply for Conscientious Objector status back then.  There were 2 levels.  One would keep you out of direct combat skills but you could still be assigned to a combat area as a medical corpsman or one of the non-combatant jobs in the Chaplaincy.  The other level kept you out of military service completely but was extremely hard to get and required you to serve in some alternate civilian capacity such as with the Veterans Administration, Peace Corps, or Job Corps.

Answer 14

great question. we have enough men and women who volunteer in our nations military that we will never need to draft again. you muct be at least 18 and yes there are hundreds if not thousands of jobs that do not require killing people. In our beloved Corps, everyone is a rifleman first. so yes, a cook might someday have to grab a rifle and kill the enemy. if you have any objection to killing people, then the military is definately not an option for you. OORAH

Answer 15

First things first - right now, there is no draft.  You do have to register with Selective Service when you turn 18; but nobody has been drafted for more than 30 years.  That could always change, of course.

If there were a draft, it would apply to males between ages 18 and some upper limit which gets set at the time they decide to draft - usually 25 years or do.

Historically, when people have been drafted it is usually for a 1 or 2 year tour of duty.  You may voluntarily stay in longer, but only in the rarest of cases would you be required to.

Yes, they will train you; it would be stupid and wasteful to send untrained people into a combat zone.  Granted, it might be short and less than optimal training...

There are numerous posts besides 'shooting and killing' - by which I take it you mean front line combat troops.  Everything from medics to mechanics to cooks are needed, and even combat units won't necessarily be in direct combat.  That said, everyone in the military is expected to be able to pick up a weapon and fight if the need arises.

It is possible to register as a 'conscientious objector' but it must be on religious grounds.  A philosophical opposition to war is not accepted.  (Perhaps it should be, but it isn't.)  You might want to pick up a membership card to one of the recognized pacifist churches just in case; it might not keep you out, but it will slow down the process while they check it.

Nobody knows for certain what the chances are of a draft in the near future.  Right now Iran and Russia seem determined to cause problems which might lead to a major war; but it could still work out for the best.  Keep hoping, and keep a map to Canada around just in case.

Answer 16

Hey young buddy, Im in the Army, Active duty and I was just sent home from Iraq due to recieving some injuries. Enough said about that. Now to answer your questions.

1. You have no reason to be scared. I do not think that they will ever implement the draft again. And you are to young to be worrying about that.

2. To be drafted, when one was in place you had to be 18 yrs old.

3. Yes you will have all the training that you need to carrying out your mission.

4. Yes there are plenty of jobs besides shooting and killing in the armed forces. However, the first training that you recieve is to be a SOLDIER. This means that this teaches you the basics of infantry and how to use the equipment and your mind to get you through the tough times. Whatever job you chose, if it is not a combat related job. You must know that you are a soldier first and that if you are called from your desk to go do a soldiers job, then that is your duty.

5. your religion and what you believe, however valuable to you. does not mean a thing to the services............Let me put it this way, and you are way to young to be worrying about this but, If it comes down to you dying or standing a chance on going home to see your family again your not going to stop and think about your beliefs ...........trust me.

6. Its my personal opinion that NO the draft will never happen again.

I hope this helps you and you need not to worry about this. you need to enjoy being a teenager and mind your parents and do your  chores...........I hope this helped you.