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My father never served because of a physical deferment, and farmed during the war. He was never treated poorly at all, even after the minor disability was corrected shortly afterward with surgery.
His younger brother, my uncle, served in the Navy, and never had any trouble with my Dad's lack of service. There were many perfectly fit young men in my area who got farm deferments, and none of them were ever looked down on as far as I know either. While not everyone worked on farms here, this has always been an important agricultural state, and for those who didn't serve, it was mostly due to the luck of the draw. A salesman's kid got drafted, and a farmer's kid didn't.
That's the way it was in WWI, as well. My grandfather was drafted, but his older brother, who had just married into a farm family, was not. My great-grandfather was a building contractor, and both of his sons had worked for him before the start of the war. My great uncle had only been married a couple of months when WWI broke out, and my grandfather was still single.
Luck of the draw again. Neither ever resented the other. In time, my grandfather became a farmer, and his brother gave up farming to run a boarding house.
Starting in November 1942, the draft ages expanded and men 18 to 37 were now eligible for the draft. John Wayne was 35 in 1942, and 38 when the war ended so he would have been eligible for the draft.
According to Wikipedia:
By war’s end, approximately 34 million men had registered, and 10 million served with the military.
Depended on what they did while they were stateside. Some worked as police officers, civil defense, construction, farmers, and other fields that helped to support the war effort. There was no shame for such people, especially if they came by their deferment honestly. If it became known someone faked a condition or paid off someone to get a deferment, that person was looked down upon. Though the war effort needed soldiers and sailors, it also needed food to feed them, weapons to fight the war, uniforms to wear, and peace of mind knowing their families back home were being taken care of. That meant farmers, ranchers, clothing makers, factory workers, police officers, national guard troops, Coast Guard sailors, civil defense workers, and those working to provide utilities were still needed at home. Those utilities workers became part of the country's national defense since the utilities of USA were a target by German agents within USA. The US Coast Guard fought German U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico. The Germans wanted to torpedo large cargo ships at the mouth of the Mississippi river to stop shipping from that route because so many factories were built upon the Mississippi river to use the river's current to move their goods to the world's oceans. They also targeted ports on the east coast, NYC subways, power generation stations on the east coast, and other targets. They were able to do this because of the German immigrants still loyal to Germany and their physical appearance made them easy to blend in. Japan wasn't as easily able to do this because of the internment camps and the racism of anyone looking Japanese thanks to the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Young healthy doctors & nurses were drafted, but those who didn't meet the standards could still serve at home to help keep the country healthy and to help treat those with serious wounds who had to be sent back to USA for long term treatment.
My Uncle Tom had very bad eyesight can so didn't serve,but I think he worked in afactory or did whatever he could for the war effort. As a kid he got violin lessons so that as an adult if he went blind,he could still earn aliving as a musician. My dad was working for Briggs and Stratton in Milwaukee their home town.Because of that he had a deferment but told grandpa he was going in anyways. He mentioned how before the war they had built some small engines for the japanese military.
WW II was unique in that it is the only war the US has fought where there was virtually no protest movement against it.
I believe there was a fairly strong protest movement against WW2. Also WW2 was the first time a draft exception was made for conscientious objectors. During WW1 they were prosecuted. Though I would say that the peace movements pretty much fizzled out during both WW1 and WW2.
If I'm not wrong, 30% of draft age men did not serve in WW2. Thats not a small number. I had an Uncle who avoided the draft, because he was a streetcar operator in LA. Which was considered an essential service. I have known several other people who got out of serving in WW2 for the same reason. To the best of my knowledge none of them were mistreated because of it.
I believe there was a fairly strong protest movement against WW2. Also WW2 was the first time a draft exception was made for conscientious objectors. During WW1 they were prosecuted. Though I would say that the peace movements pretty much fizzled out during both WW1 and WW2.
Charles Lindburg opposed going to war with Germany. He even traveled to Berlin meeting with the Nazis. He was such a pro-German speaker that the US Military didn't trust him. In later years it was discovered he had a secret family in Germany.
My grandfather was too old (forties) but tried to sign up after Pearl Harbor. He was a skilled machinist and they sent him home telling him he'd do more good staying in the US using that skill than he would serving in the military. He spent the war building the machinery that built tanks at a Ford plant.
My other grandfather was sent to the US to get out of serving in the British military in WWI. My great-grandmother put him on a boat after losing 3 sons in WWI and refused to send him.
His skill kept him out, not age. They had the old man's draft in 1942. Men 45 to 67 had to register. I've found my grandfathers and great uncles registration cards online. They were born in the 1890s.
They had the old man's draft in 1942. Men 45 to 67 had to register. I've found my grandfathers and great uncles registration cards online. They were born in the 1890s.
I have my grandfather's card. He served in WWI and survived being gassed. Someone made a notation of that on the card, which also lists his scars.
My father was drafted in '44, served in Europe as a tech sergeant running a company. Wife's father and best friend volunteered. Her father was accepted, friend was found to have a hernia, rejected, so he delivered the mail at home while wife's father was a photographer and photographed the Normandy beaches from a submarine prior to D-Day.
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