Fathers & Sons

Over a weekend they poured into the nation's 6,500 draft boards--smooth-faced young men, greying middling-agers. Many a father, scarred by World War I, signed up alongside his son. Waiting their turn in line were: a Supreme Court associate justice (William O. Douglas), an ex-hero (Charles Augustus Lindbergh), a college president (Robert M. Hutchins of the University of Chicago). Aliens registered too: Chinese with Japanese; Austrians, Spaniards, Arabians, Hindus, Javanese. The draft boards had to have on hand specialists to translate Chinese birthdays like K.S. 23, 1, 16 (16th day, 1st month, 23rd year of the Kuang Hsue period) into the Gregorian equivalent, Feb. 17, 1897.

By Sunday night, some 78% of the estimated 9,000,000 men called (every unregistered man between the ages of 20 and 44 not already in the armed forces) had been signed up. By evening next day, all had been registered. Few of those above 35 were due to be called to military service: practically all the 20-year-olds would be. Best soldiers, in the Army's opinion, are men between 18 and 23. Since it could not take any below 20, it was moving in fast on the youngest it could get.

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