The American military was made up of eager, patriotic volunteers

Conscription in the United States for World War II started in 1940, just over a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the country into the conflict. There was a small spike in enlistments after that attack, but by early 1942, the conscription had become the only way to join the US military. A draught number was given to each American who registered for the draught.

Induction numbers were chosen in a lottery that involved random drawing. Those chosen were told to show up at their induction draught boards. Conscripted, or drafted into the military on the basis of necessity rather than patriotism, made up two thirds of the American men who fought in the war. During the Vietnam War, by contrast, nearly one-third of the troops were drafted.

The majority of the time, local draught boards made the decisions about draught exemptions. They were made up of notable local politicians and businesses. Resistance existed, and systemic abuses were frequent, as they were in all wars where conscription was employed to enlist American troops.