In your November 13, 1968
issue there is a discussion of the
Draft System by Mike Russell.
Quite frankly, the errors of omission
are flagrant, but one statement
stands out for which I would like a
clarification. Your writer says "Yes,
the sole purpose of the Selective
Service System during World War
Two was to keep men from volunteering
and channel them back into
the civilian economy."
On the surface this sentence is
untrue, but the effect may have
been as stated. My recollection is
that it was always possible to volunteer
in WW II, but this was a short
cut to the front lines; the Draft,
being bureaucratic and cumbersome,
was a much slower route and
thus the first part of the sentence is
true in that sense, since we all
appreciated the extra delay. The
second part of the sentence is true
but my very vivid recollection is
that there were several months of
combat between induction and our
return to the civilian economy with
a probability of survival factor involved;
this has been left out of Mr.
Russell's statement.
