Is The Military Draft Coming Back 2024
In a draft lottery, each day of the year is randomly assigned a number from 1 to 365 (or 366 for leap years). This is done through a literal lottery drawing, usually involving picking numbers out of a big glass jar. The order in which the dates are drawn determines the order in which registered men are called up for service. So if January 1st is picked first, all the guys born on January 1st are at the top of the list. If December 31st is picked last, those poor New Year’s Eve babies are at the bottom. Once the order is set, the military would start at the top and work its way down. Based on the lottery results, they’d call up as many men as needed to meet their manpower requirements. Historically, the lottery has been a controversial system. It feels pretty random to have your fate decided by the luck of the draw. During Vietnam, many people saw it as unfair and even rigged against certain groups. But the idea is that a lottery is impartial. It doesn’t discriminate based on race, class, or other factors. Everyone has an equal chance of being called up based on the random order of their birthday. Of course, all of this is hypothetical unless the draft is reinstated. However, the lottery system is the most likely way it would go down. So, if you’re a young man, your birthday could one day be significant.