Potential servicemen reported to military induction centers to undergo physical and psychiatric examinations. That way, they could choose their branch of service. Many men volunteered rather than wait to be drafted. They considered factors like the importance of a man's occupation to the war effort, his health, and his family situation. These boards, comprised of citizens from individual communities, determined if a man was fit to enter the military. Individuals were selected from this manpower pool for examination by one of over 6,000 local draft boards. They were given identical haircuts, uniforms, and equipment, and were assigned to spartan barracks that afforded no privacy and little room for personal possessions.īy late 1942 all men aged 18 to 64 were required to register for the draft, though in practice the system concentrated on men under 38. They had to adapt to an entirely new way of living, one that involved routine inspections and strict military conduct, as well as rigorous physical and combat training. Upon their arrival at the training camps, inductees were stripped of the freedom and individuality they had enjoyed as civilians. The other services attracted enough volunteers at first, but eventually their ranks also included draftees.
Many were volunteers, but the majority,roughly 10 million,entered the military through the draft. They came from every state in the nation and all economic and social strata. By December 1941 America's military had grown to nearly 2.2 million soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.Īmerica's armed forces consisted largely of "citizen soldiers",men and women drawn from civilian life. Concern over the threat of war had spurred President Roosevelt and Congress to approve the nation's first peacetime military draft in September 1940. The primary task facing America in 1941 was raising and training a credible military force. The opportunities and sacrifices of wartime would change America in profound, and sometimes unexpected, ways. In the months after Pearl Harbor, the nation swiftly mobilized its human and material resources for war. Contributions from all Americans, young and old, men and women, would be necessary to build up what President Roosevelt called the "Arsenal of Democracy." Government, industry, and labor would need to cooperate. Meeting these challenges would require massive government spending, conversion of existing industries to wartime production, construction of huge new factories, changes in consumption, and restrictions on many aspects of American life. At the same time, it had to find a way to provide material aid to its hard-pressed allies in Great Britain and the Soviet Union. It had to prepare to fight on two distant and very different fronts, Europe and the Pacific.Īmerica needed to quickly raise, train, and outfit a vast military force. Ill-equipped and wounded, the nation was at war with three formidable adversaries. The United States faced a mammoth job in December 1941. But the job the nation faced in December 1941 was formidable. It had allies in this fight-most importantly Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Three days later, Germany and Italy, allied with Japan, declared war on the United States. The declaration passed with just one dissenting vote. On December 8, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war against Japan. Though stunned by the events of December 7, Americans were also resolute. "No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory." Over 2,400 servicemen and civilians lost their lives. In a two-hour attack, Japanese warplanes sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircraft. The most devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where much of the US Pacific Fleet was moored. December 7, 1941: A Day That Will Live in InfamyĪmerica's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific.