How did conscription affect the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

Military service as career choice was at an all time low. Conscription was

no longer acceptable because of the large number of exemptions that

were percieved as available to the wealthy Americans. Class and race

were seen as factors in recuritment, and as a way for upward mobility.

An all volunteer force is a good idea. National service of some kind is a

great way to insure equaity and a sense of patriotism in all Americans. t Another answer could be that: civil unrest was so severe in the US at the time, that the administration were concerned that they would not have enough troops to manage the riots. Consequently troops were withdrawn. The issue of the draft, as raised by the above answer, is certainly that patriotism cannot be relied upon. But this allows soldiers to judge for themselves the merits of armed intervention and in the case of Vietnam this led to 'fragging'. It can be seen as a superior form of recruitment because the actions perpetrated in a country's name should be commitment by a cross-section, not militants who do not have information on national interests. Most of what I've discussed is brought up by chomsky (esp in the book understanding power)but now that the best-paid unskilled labour is in the armed forces, economic hardship and inequality cause an over-representation of ethnicity in Iraq(2006) such that 12% of the US is black but 24% of US Military is black.

Answer 2

Vietnam had draft dodgers and draft riots; neither were new, the first draft dodgers/draft riots occurred in New York during the American Civil War (US Civil War).