I was just talking to a girl i know, and she insists the draft isn’t around anymore. I’m not 18, but i always thought you still had to sign up and were elligible if you were an 18 year old guy. Maybe they don’t use the draft currently,but is it possible in the future? And… do 18 year olds have to sign up? If theres another thread on this,I’m sorry,but i searched the past two years.
There currently is not a ‘draft’ going on (ie forced service). However, it is the law still that all males between the ages of 18 and 26 must register for the draft. Federal student loans, acceptance into certain government training programs etc. can be in jeopardy for failure to register. (I ‘do’ one of those programs and must prove that all males born after 1960 and are at least 18 years old now have registered. the ‘only’ excuse I’ve ever seen was if the person in question was not in the US or was inside a prison consistently every day from before he turned 18 until after he turned 26)
Thanks wring. I wonder how many people don’t sign up. My friend said she was on the phone with a guy old enough,but he hadn’t registered. Probably lying.
yr. welcome. I haven’t met many who haven’t registered. Often they don’t recall or realize that’s what they did (it’s called ‘register for selective service’ the word 'draft doesn’t really appear on the little card), ya fill out a card the size of a 5 x 7 with info like 'name, address, date of birth, social security number, phone number, gender (yes, it really has that on there) a place for you to sign and date it then ya hand it back to the post office person.
I’ve had guys tell me “no, 'cause I’ve got a felony and they won’t let me serve anyhow”. As far as I know, it may be true that you can’t enlist, perhaps they wouldn’t draft you, but they sure as heck still want you to register.
while I’m at it, heres FAQ about Selective Service and you can go back to their home page and actually register on line now.
(by the way according to the FAQ page it doesn’t mention that thing about the prisoners - but that’s what I was told the one time I had some one who’d been 17 when he went in and didn’t come out until after he turned 26 - we had to document that he was incarcerated the entire time)
I never signed up. Ask in GD if you want my reasons for refusing to do so.
Aren’t there legal penalties for not registering?
Friedo just likes other people to pick up his slack.
What’s funny about the selective service cards is they mail them to you- so they know where you live, at least theoretically. I received mine when I was in basic training, which was a hoot.
Derleth see the FAQ site I posted for the specific legalities involved. Short answer, yes, one can be prosecuted. In addition to being disqualified from certain student loans, government programs and jobs.
Theoretically yes, but I’ve never known anyone (in this day and age) who has ever been prosecuted for it. Things like government student loans and scholarships require proof that you signed up, as do most federal jobs.