As the U.S. death toll in Iraq has reached a milestone of over 1000 deaths, talk of reinstating the draft has resurfaced in Congress. "It's not a certainty, but it is a strong possibility," U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lisbon, said. "If people have sons and daughters in their teen years, they need to be paying attention."

In April, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) hinted of the draft at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Iraq and Afghanistan when he called for mandatory national service. Hagel said his intent is to spread the burden of fighting wars among the wealthy as well as the less affluent. Similarly, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) introduced a bill in January 2003 called the "Universal National Service Act of 2003." This act would require a two-year period of national service, either in the military or some other form of government service.
Strickland said troop strength in Iraq is stretched thin. "We cannot continue to call back guardsmen and reservists who have already fulfilled their contractual obligation," he said. "We are well over 100 countries, at different levels. We just pulled troops out of South Korea because of pressures in Iraq."

In early November 2003, the Department of Defense prompted speculation of the possibility of the reinstatement of the draft by posting a message seeking "Draft Board Volunteers" on the DOD's Web site. After media notice, the post was removed but has recently been placed back on the DOD's Web site.

Selling the public on the idea may not be easy. Many teenagers express their disapproval and anger of a draft. Stacey, 17, of Brooklyn says, "they wouldn't need a draft if they didn't send our troops to Iraq. Our troops are dying and for what? Absolutely no reason." In a recent poll by the Marietta Times, nearly 60% of the 258 respondents said overseas missions should be cut back to meet the need.

A draft was established for the Civil War, but anyone could be released from it by furnishing a substitute, or early on, merely by paying the sum of $300. In World War I, exemptions were granted to men who had dependent families, physical disabilities, or indispensable duties at home.

If a draft in reinstated, males as well as females will be called on to serve. It is doubtful that many exemptions will be made.

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