Eluding or evading the draft was present throughout World War II
The percentage of males who were drafted into the military during World War II was over 60%. Some people attempted to avoid being recruited during the first year of the war by joining the Coast Guard or the Navy. Others stated their religious convictions as the reason they were exempt from the draft. Some conscientious objectors, although not all of them, were granted conscientious objector status after the government mandated that all branches of service submit to the draft. A total of 6,000 men were imprisoned after being denied CO status. Through dishonest draft boards, thousands more people avoided the draft.
The draft prevented men from joining one branch at the expense of the others, such as joining the Navy instead of the Army's frontline infantry. Additionally, it made sure that all men of draft eligible age were registered and made known to local draft boards, which made the initial decisions regarding CO status, health status, and other factors that determined whether or not the draftees were eligible to serve in the military.
Men who were married or had dependent children were eligible for exemptions when the draft started in 1940. The proportion of men in the draft who got married increased by 25% by 1941. Only those who got married before the attack on Pearl Harbor were exempted when Congress amended the legislation in 1942 in response to an upsurge in men choosing marriage over military service. Whether or not a member of the Greatest Generation, there was opposition to conscription during the Second World War, as there was in every American war in which it was required.
