Seventy-five years ago, Pearl Harbor was still more than a year away. But it was clear that it was only a matter of time before the United States was at war. And the clearest sign came 75 years ago today, when President Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which put into place the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. Initially, all men between 21 and 35 were required to register. If drafted, a man would serve for twelve months, with the service to be limited to the Western Hemisphere or U.S. possessions. Under the act, up to 900,000 men would be undergoing training at any given time.
The term of service was extended beyond twelve months in August 1941, and a handful of desertions occurred when the initial one-year obligation had expired. The age limits for registration were also subsequently extended, and by the end of the war, all men between the ages of 18 and 65 were required to register.
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