4 ms·

What jumped out was the mere mention of the draft (wwii). I even looked it up. The narrative my wwii relatives give is everyone enlisted. If you didnt there w

What jumped out was the mere mention of the draft (wwii). I even looked it up. The narrative my wwii relatives give is everyone enlisted. If you didnt there was shame that required an explanation

tyingq 9y ago
~60% of US military in the WW II time period were draftees. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-us-military-numbers https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-... Doesn't refute the idea that shame might have been involved, but...
- losteverything 9y ago
  My history could be very distorted but the "war is bad and to be avoided" idea came to life (in my lifetime) during Vietnam years. I cant imagine the us population rallying around a new war like they did in the '40's
  - tyingq 9y ago
    Only about 25% of US military in Vietnam were draftees. Suggests there were 2 distinct trains of thought on "war is bad".
  - maroonblazer 9y ago
    If something akin to a "Pearl Harbor" struck us today I could totally see us rallying around a new war.
  - thearn4 9y ago
    We saw similar rallying in the year following 9-11 and the initial invasion of Afghanistan. With the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it became more complicated very quickly.
joatmon-snoo 9y ago
The Idea Factory does note that there were Bell Labs engineers who were chided on the street by strangers for not being overseas.
cafard 9y ago
Yes and no. You have to remember that the draft started some time before the US was actually at war. A lot of people did volunteer, before the declaration of war and after; but many of them knew that the draft was waiting for them if they didn't.
cafard 9y ago
Yes and no. You have to remember that the draft started some time before the US was actually at war. A lot of people did volunteer, before the declaration of war and after; but many of them knew that the draft was waiting for them if they didn't.

What jumped out was the mere mention of the draft (wwii). I even looked it up. The narrative my wwii relatives give is everyone enlisted. If you didnt there was shame that required an explanation

tyingq 9y ago

~60% of US military in the WW II time period were draftees. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-us-military-numbers https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-... Doesn't refute the idea that shame might have been involved, but...

losteverything 9y ago
My history could be very distorted but the "war is bad and to be avoided" idea came to life (in my lifetime) during Vietnam years. I cant imagine the us population rallying around a new war like they did in the '40's
- tyingq 9y ago
  Only about 25% of US military in Vietnam were draftees. Suggests there were 2 distinct trains of thought on "war is bad".
- maroonblazer 9y ago
  If something akin to a "Pearl Harbor" struck us today I could totally see us rallying around a new war.
- thearn4 9y ago
  We saw similar rallying in the year following 9-11 and the initial invasion of Afghanistan. With the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it became more complicated very quickly.

joatmon-snoo 9y ago

The Idea Factory does note that there were Bell Labs engineers who were chided on the street by strangers for not being overseas.

cafard 9y ago

Yes and no. You have to remember that the draft started some time before the US was actually at war. A lot of people did volunteer, before the declaration of war and after; but many of them knew that the draft was waiting for them if they didn't.

cafard 9y ago