May 18, 2000 - 03:39 AM
Nearly One in Five Young Men Fail to Register for
the Draft
By Lawrence L. Knutson
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Nearly one in five young American men are failing
to register for the military draft as required by law, risking fines and
jail as well as ineligibility for a wide array of benefits including
student loans and government jobs, the Selective Service
Administration says.
In making the that announcement Wednesday, agency officials
said ignorance rather than willful resistance appears to be behind
the compliance numbers, which were at 93 percent a decade ago.
"Since 1990 we have seen an erosion of about 1 percent a year,"
said agency spokesman Lewis Brodsky.
"Our research has consistently shown that the biggest barrier to
young men's compliance is a simple lack of awareness," said
Selective Service Director Gil Coronado. "It's tragic to see young
men potentially missing out on future opportunities because they
just do not know they are required to register."
"The consequences of not registering for whatever reasons, are
enormous," said Education Secretary Richard Riley, who joined
Coronado at a news conference where they announced the
formation of partnerships with educational associations to get the
word out to young men.
For men born in 1980 who are now 19 and 20 years old, the
compliance rate is about 83 percent, Brodsky said.
A state-by-state survey issued by the agency showed some large
states had low registration levels among those men - California
with 79 percent and Texas, 77 percent. New Hampshire, by
contrast, ranked highest with 95 percent.
The law requires that all young men living inside the United States
and its territories register with the Selective Service within 30 days
of their 18th birthday. That includes immigrants and non-citizen
residents of the United States.
The names are gathered in case a national emergency should
require a military draft. Selective Service officials and members of
Congress at the news conference called the system an important
national "insurance policy." They said the all-volunteer enlistment
policy of the armed services is working as intended in peacetime.
The last actual draft was in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam era.
Failure to register can cost young men their chance at student
loans and grants, job training, government jobs and citizenship for
male immigrants.
It is also a felony punishable by up to five years in jail or prison
and a fine of up to $250,000, but such cases are rarely
prosecuted. The last prosecution was in 1985, agency officials
said.
"To make sure that any draft is as fair and as equitable as
possible, we've got to make sure we reach everyone," Brodsky
said. "And it's difficult to know who you're not reaching."
"But we suspect, based on the demographics we've seen, that it's
high school dropouts and immigrants" who are not registering.
Brodsky said the agency is working with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service as well as schools to try to get more
immigrants to register.
The Selective Service survey showed that the states with the
lowest compliance rates for men born in 1980 - all of them under
80 percent - are California, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and
South Carolina, all with a 79 percent rate; Texas, 77 percent;
Louisiana, 74 percent, and Hawaii, 73 percent.
The states with the best compliance - all of them 90 percent or
better - are New Hampshire, 95 percent; Maine and North Dakota,
93 percent; Iowa and Nebraska, 91 percent, and Minnesota, 90
percent.
Brodsky said there are now 13.5 million men in the Selective
Service data base whose ages range from 18 to 25. Men 26 and
older are not eligible for the draft. An estimated 1.6 million men
age 18 to 25 have not complied with the law, he said.
---
On the Net: To register on-line www.sss.gov
AP-ES-05-18-00 0339EDT
© Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Brought to you by the Tampa Bay Online Network
Nearly One in Five Young Men Fail to Register for
the Draft
By Lawrence L. Knutson
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Nearly one in five young American men are failing
to register for the military draft as required by law, risking fines and
jail as well as ineligibility for a wide array of benefits including
student loans and government jobs, the Selective Service
Administration says.
In making the that announcement Wednesday, agency officials
said ignorance rather than willful resistance appears to be behind
the compliance numbers, which were at 93 percent a decade ago.
"Since 1990 we have seen an erosion of about 1 percent a year,"
said agency spokesman Lewis Brodsky.
"Our research has consistently shown that the biggest barrier to
young men's compliance is a simple lack of awareness," said
Selective Service Director Gil Coronado. "It's tragic to see young
men potentially missing out on future opportunities because they
just do not know they are required to register."
"The consequences of not registering for whatever reasons, are
enormous," said Education Secretary Richard Riley, who joined
Coronado at a news conference where they announced the
formation of partnerships with educational associations to get the
word out to young men.
For men born in 1980 who are now 19 and 20 years old, the
compliance rate is about 83 percent, Brodsky said.
A state-by-state survey issued by the agency showed some large
states had low registration levels among those men - California
with 79 percent and Texas, 77 percent. New Hampshire, by
contrast, ranked highest with 95 percent.
The law requires that all young men living inside the United States
and its territories register with the Selective Service within 30 days
of their 18th birthday. That includes immigrants and non-citizen
residents of the United States.
The names are gathered in case a national emergency should
require a military draft. Selective Service officials and members of
Congress at the news conference called the system an important
national "insurance policy." They said the all-volunteer enlistment
policy of the armed services is working as intended in peacetime.
The last actual draft was in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam era.
Failure to register can cost young men their chance at student
loans and grants, job training, government jobs and citizenship for
male immigrants.
It is also a felony punishable by up to five years in jail or prison
and a fine of up to $250,000, but such cases are rarely
prosecuted. The last prosecution was in 1985, agency officials
said.
"To make sure that any draft is as fair and as equitable as
possible, we've got to make sure we reach everyone," Brodsky
said. "And it's difficult to know who you're not reaching."
"But we suspect, based on the demographics we've seen, that it's
high school dropouts and immigrants" who are not registering.
Brodsky said the agency is working with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service as well as schools to try to get more
immigrants to register.
The Selective Service survey showed that the states with the
lowest compliance rates for men born in 1980 - all of them under
80 percent - are California, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and
South Carolina, all with a 79 percent rate; Texas, 77 percent;
Louisiana, 74 percent, and Hawaii, 73 percent.
The states with the best compliance - all of them 90 percent or
better - are New Hampshire, 95 percent; Maine and North Dakota,
93 percent; Iowa and Nebraska, 91 percent, and Minnesota, 90
percent.
Brodsky said there are now 13.5 million men in the Selective
Service data base whose ages range from 18 to 25. Men 26 and
older are not eligible for the draft. An estimated 1.6 million men
age 18 to 25 have not complied with the law, he said.
---
On the Net: To register on-line www.sss.gov
AP-ES-05-18-00 0339EDT
© Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Brought to you by the Tampa Bay Online Network