Inquiries about draft on the rise

As the war on terrorism unfolds, many area draft boards report more people are inquiring whether the military campaign in Afghanistan will mean restoration of the draft.

"I think a lot of people suspect that the draft is going to be reinstituted just because of what's been happening since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," said John A. Adams of Kirkwood, who oversees 19 eastern Missouri draft boards.

"Our agency's been getting a lot of calls. People don't understand the nature of Selective Service, its dormant status and what it would take for it to get reinstituted."

Adams and the Selective Service state director, Col. Don Hiatte, ran an informational booth Wednesday at the Generations in Valor event in Cape Girardeau. The booth drew a lot of interest from teen-agers wondering if a draft was imminent, Adams said.

It's been nearly three decades since the draft was scrapped in favor of an all-volunteer military. The boards are still around, although they haven't considered a single deferment since the Selective Service System was revived in 1980.

While there are no plans to restore the draft, board members say they are ready.

Insurance salesman J. Derieck Hodges of Jackson, Mo., represents Cape Girardeau County on the five-county local board. He said he doesn't think the draft will be reinstated anytime soon.

"I think there will be enough young guys who join just out of a patriotic spirit," Hodges said. "But if anything happens we're ready to do our duty."

Hodges, who has been a Selective Service volunteer for about a year, served in the Army National Guard.

The president can issue a draft order with approval of Congress if a crisis proved to be more than the nation's active-duty forces, reserve and National Guard units effectively could handle.

Each draft board has five civilian members who must be U.S. citizens over age 18. The local board serves Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Mississippi, Scott and Stoddard counties.

"Our biggest challenge is making sure each board represents the demographics of the area," said Hiatte.

Local boards meet once a year to review guidelines for judging requests for conscientious objector status or exemptions for reasons such as family hardship.

"I'm not a scholar on the draft, but I think the whole philosophy has been one of preparedness -- plan ahead and be ready," said Luis Ortiz of Kirkwood, who became a board member last year. "That's what we're doing with the Selective Service System."

Another military campaign in Afghanistan -- the Soviet invasion in 1979 -- prompted President Carter to restore the Selective Service in 1980.

Men still are required to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday and may do so at their local post office or online at www.sss.gov. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment of no more than five years. The Selective Service reports a compliance rate of 92 percent among men ages 20 to 25.

On an average day, about 1,600 men register with the system. A nationwide registration effort has been scheduled for three days next month.

Staff writer Andrea L. Buchanan contributed to this report.