FIRST PEACETIME DRAFT REGISTRATION

First peacetime draft registration

With war raging in Europe and Asia, but before the United States formally entered the conflict, the government took a historic step by registering millions of men for possible military service under a new Selective Service law. On October 16th, 1940, lines formed at schools, post offices, and other public buildings as eligible citizens filled out cards that would form the basis of the draft. The measure was controversial, yet it reflected a growing recognition that the nation might one day have to fight and would need a trained, organized force ready to expand. For the armed services, the registration became the foundation for the vast mobilization that followed Pearl Harbor, supplying the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army Air Forces with the manpower needed for a global struggle. The date marks the moment when a traditionally small peacetime military began transforming into the mass force of the Second World War.