It's amazing what you can find on the walls of the post office. For instance, one brochure reads "MEN 18 through 25 REGISTER", and continues, "Do the Right Thing", "It's Quick - It's Easy - It's the Law", "You Must Register with Selective Service".

As a Vietnam-era male, I was under the impression that the selective service requirements to register for military service had been abolished. It turns out I was mistaken, and if I didn't understand what was going on, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.It seems that the Selective Service System began in 1917 as a prelude to the United States entering World War I. The Selective Service Act of 1917 gave the President the power to conscript men for military service.Males aged 21 to 30, and in 1918 to a maximum age of 45, were required to register for 12 months of military service. The military draft was discontinued in 1920.With World War II on the horizon, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, establishing the first peacetime conscription in United States history. It required males between the ages of 18 to 65 to register for Selective Service.Initially, males from 21 to 36 where required to serve for 12 months. In 1941, the age cutoff was increased to 45 years and the service period was increased to 18 months. Upon declaration of war in 1942, the service period was extended to last the duration of the war plus a six-month service in the Reserves.The 1940 Act ended in 1947, and in 1948 a new and separate system was created. It required males 18 years and older to register for Selective Service, with males between the ages of 19 to 26 eligible to be drafted for a 21 month service requirement-followed by a commitment for either 12 months of active service or 36 months of service in the reserves. Due to postwar budget cuts, only 100,000 conscripts were chosen in 1948.With the Korean War looming on the horizon, in 1950, the number of conscripts was greatly increased. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Congress passed the Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1951. This lowered the draft age from 19 to 18-12, increased active-duty service time from 21 to 24 months, and set the statutory term of military service at a minimum of eight years. Students attending a college or training program full time could request an exemption, which was extended as long as they were students.In 1963, during the prelude to the Vietnam War, President Kennedy granted an exemption for all married men between 19 and 26. Following Kennedy's assassination, President Johnson rescinded the exemption for married men without children. In 1986, President Reagan revoked the exemption for married men.In 1967, the ages of conscription were set from 18 to 35. It allowed student deferments, but ended them upon graduation or age 24.In 1969, President Nixon established the "draft lottery". In 1971, the Selective Service Act was amended to make registration compulsory, males had to register within a month of their 18th birthday, and draft board membership requirements were reformed to reflect the makeup of their communities.In 1973, United States instituted an all-volunteer armed forces, and in 1975, President Ford eliminated the registration requirement.It turned out that the demise of Selective Service registration was premature, because in 1980 President Carter reestablished the Selective Service registration requirement for 18 - 26 year old male citizens born on or after 1960 - allowing an exemption for men born between March 29, 1957 and December 31, 1959.Under current law, male U.S. citizens must register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Foreign male permanent residents between 18 and 25 must also register. Until age 26, registered males must notify Selective Service within 10 days of any changes to information regarding their status.Females are not required to register. Men who were female at birth and have changed sex are not required to register. In 1981, the United States Supreme Court upheld the exemption for females, noting, "Since women are excluded from combat, Congress concluded that they would not be needed in the event of a draft, and therefore decided not to register them."Although registration for the Selective Service System is required for male citizens and permanent residents between the ages of 18 and 25, there is currently no draft. If a draft were held today, a lottery system would be used and applied to men between the ages of 20 and 26, and if selected, a man would spend one year in first priority for the draft, and then, in each of the following years, placed on a lower level of priority.Registration for the Selective Service System may be a requirement for: federal student loans and grant programs, federal job training under the Workforce, and U.S. Citizenship.For additional information, see:

www.sss.gov.