# Were states during call-up/the draught WWII/Korean War/Vietnam within their rights to withhold men? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2020, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970 "2020-04-17T09:58:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/1 "2020-04-17T09:58:48Z")
Hi Were governors of states during call-up/the draught during WWII/Korean War/Vietnam ever within their rights to withhold men from the draught? How far does a state’s governor’s powers extend? I look forward to your feedback ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/2 "2020-04-17T12:39:23Z")
I don’t think the governor of a state has the ability to in effect keep the federal government from drafting men (and women) into federal service. Why would you think he/she could? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/3 "2020-04-17T12:44:22Z")
During Vietnam there were local draft boards, and an appeals process. The draft board could withhold men for various reasons including local necessity but I don’t know any real details about that. There was also an appeals process if you disagreed with a draft board decision. It’s a federal process, AFAIK \*\*spifflog \*\*is right, it’s a federal process and the governor has no say. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/4 "2020-04-17T12:45:34Z")
During the Iraq War, some governors tried to stop the federal government from sending over their National Guard troops. It didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/5 "2020-04-17T16:21:45Z")
In World War II my father was technically drafted into the Illinois National Guard (AKA, the “Militia”) and the National Guard was\* then\* federalized into the U.S. military. Except for a few rare cases the National Guard was NOT federalized during the Vietnam era. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/6 "2020-04-17T23:26:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > During Vietnam there were local draft boards, and an appeals process. The draft board could withhold men for various reasons including local necessity but I don’t know any real details about that. There was also an appeals process if you disagreed with a draft board decision. It’s a federal process, AFAIK \*\*spifflog \*\*is right, it’s a federal process and the governor has no say. I turned 18 during Nam, growing up in a very populous county with high draft calls. But at the time I officially resided with my respectable dad across the line in a much less crowded county with notably racist draft boards that grabbed minorities first. The local board told honky me that I could continue vagabonding as long as I let Dad know where I was twice a year. They never got around to drafting me. (I volunteered for the Army a few years later but that’s another story.) No, a governor can’t withhold draftees. But corrupt local boards can draft someone else. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-states-during-call-up-the-draught-wwii-korean-war-vietnam-within-their-rights-to-withhold-men/851970/7 "2020-04-18T13:29:18Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > I turned 18 during Nam, growing up in a very populous county with high draft calls. But at the time I officially resided with my respectable dad across the line in a much less crowded county with notably racist draft boards that grabbed minorities first. The local board told honky me that I could continue vagabonding as long as I let Dad know where I was twice a year. They never got around to drafting me. (I volunteered for the Army a few years later but that’s another story.) > > No, a governor can’t withhold draftees. But corrupt local boards can draft someone else. Thank you all. Very helpful