Draft Board - I Got The Call Today

[ThomWV]

About 4 or 5 months ago I signed up at the Selective Service web site to volunteer to serve on the local draft board. My wife was astounded until I explained that it is the duty of the draft boards to decide who receives expemptions - who does not have to go, not to decide who has to go.

This morning I got an E-Mail from an Air Force Major asking if I was still interested. I certainly am and I responded to him immediately. A couple of hours ago he called and I confirmed that I am more than willing to serve and in fact if there are other areas beyond the local board - which in fact does have one vacancy - I'd be much interested as well. What luck! As it turns out no only is there an opening on the local board but there is also one on the regional appeals board, was I interested? Dam right I am! So, being as this is the fellow who decides which volunteers ends up where guess who will be in a position to grant deferments?

Dam, this, which is my 57th birthday, turned out to be a mighty good one.

[redqueen]

1. Happy Birthday!

:party:

Wish it were a better present, though. :/

[Caution]

2. Kudos!

Great job! Keep us informed of what this is all about and what is in the works.

[xultar]

3. Selective Service offices are already opened here in GA near High Schools!

WTF!

GWB LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!

[booisblu]

4. So this means

that there will be a draft?

[ewagner]

5. Happy Birthday!

:party:

and congratulations (I think)

May be some tough decisions for you up the road but I'd rather have a DUer on the board than a PNACer........

Best of luck to you!

[Cooley Hurd]

6. Congratulations, Thom!

Is this an presently-active board, or was it dormnant and you'll be part of a start-up team?

I don't know what this means, in regards to an impending re-establishment of the draft...

[anarchy1999]

7. Take it back from the INSIDE.

Nice to know you are there. I see alot of deferments coming.

Note: Dam (as is with water) is spelled Damn (as an expletive), I think.

[qb]

8. You are doing a tremendous service to all of the non-wealthy,

non-politically-connected people who will undoubtedly be drafted in disproportionate numbers if it is reinstated.

Imagine the outrage when some Republican's son has his deferment rejected. The horror... the horror.

[displacedtexan]

9. Thank You and Happy B-Day!

:party: :bounce: :toast: :silly: :crazy:
:hi: :thumbsup: :loveya: :yourock:
:party: :bounce: :toast: :silly: :crazy:
:hi: :thumbsup: :loveya: :yourock:
:party: :bounce: :toast: :silly: :crazy:
:hi: :thumbsup: :loveya: :yourock:

[mdmc]

10. Check voter registration logs. Don't send Dems to die!

:peace:

[styersc]

11. Everyone who reads DU should contact their draft board to see if they

are trying to fill spots and volunteer. This is brilliant work and I wish I had thought of it.

[Bunny]

12. I did apply to mine.

And they rejected me, but didn't say why. Oh well...

[PaDUer]

16. Did you receive the rejection via email

or snail mail?

[Bunny]

19. Snail mail.

[ThomWV]

13. Where Did I See It?

I was thinking that what got me to do it was a posting here or maybe something I saw on the "Bush Watch" site. At any rate I saw someone post that you could register on the Internet as a volunteer to serve on your local board if there was an opening. So I went and signed up, but that was months ago. My thinking was that if I was called and if a draft was reinstated It would be better that someone like me who served in the military and generally abhors war than some friggin' chickenhawk that didn't have a clue what he was sending the regions children into. I understand as well as anyone that this isn't an opportunity to save the world, but still, any good I can do I'm certainly going to.

If you feel generally the same way I'd suggest that you go find the sign up page. I don't have it saved anywhere but I suppose a search on Google for "Selective Service System" would probably step toward getting you there. You know what they say about the lottery .... you can't win if you don't play. Well, this is something like that.

[malachibk]

14. That's AWESOME.

I'll call mine tomorrow.

[PaDUer]

15. Good for you! :-)

This is excellent news being that someone on DU will make a difference..Do you know how many seats are available in your area? Is the regional office a paying job? Happy Birthday!

[ThomWV]

20. No Pay

No, there's no pay for the job, nor is it anything like full time. As the regional thing was briefly explained to me it is not above the local boards, its just the next step in an apeal process. The fellow told me that they usually filled it on a rotating basis from local board memembers. Keep in mind, righ now there really are no dutys for this, its a just-in-case measure.

Anyway that's all I know right now. I applied and apparently have met whatever criteria (none really) that might exist. All I really know is that you can not fill a slot of you are an elected official at any level.

Thom

[rucky]

17. THANKS, THOM!

you do us a great service. And Happy Birthday!

:toast:

[northofdenali]

18. Thank you Thom!! Here's their website -

http://www.sss.gov/

Lots of info on volunteering! Happy birthday! :toast: