http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050606/LOCAL/5060503
7/1078/news
State's draft boards need 78 Floridians to fill posts
By KAREN VOYLES
Sun staff writer
June 06. 2005 6:01AM
Uncle Sam wants you and is willing to hold basic training time down to
eight hours if you are willing to volunteer.
What the federal government is looking for are at least 78 Floridians
willing to serve on draft boards even though the nation has not had a draft
for 25 years.
?These local folks would decide cases that involve individuals who may be
claiming a hardship, or that they are a conscientious objector, or
ministerial student, or member of the clergy, or have some other reason why
they believe they should not be drafted,? said ***** Flahavan, associate
director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Selective Service
System.
The current system has been in place since 1980, standing by in case a draft
is instituted. In Florida, the vacancies are scattered among the 91 draft
boards. Some boards serve only one county, while other boards may serve up
to five.
Nationwide, all 2,000 local draft boards are made up of five citizen
volunteers who have been nominated by their state's governor and appointed
by the director of Selective Service in the name of the president.
Board members must meet certain criteria, including being a U.S. citizen, at
least 18 years old, not a retired or active member of the armed forces or
any reserve component, a resident in the area in which the board has
jurisdiction, and willing to spend enough time at the position.
The time commitment is minimal during peacetime, Flahavan said. Following an
initial eight hours of training, members are expected to participate in
three-hour annual training sessions.
However, the time commitment could increase significantly during a draft.
According to the sequence of events listed on the agency's Web site, once
potential draftees have undergone a physical, mental and moral evaluation by
the military, they have 10 days to file a claim for exemption, postponement
or deferment. Those claims are reviewed and decided by the local draft
boards. The board has the authority to interview the draftee and people who
know him before making their decision.
?We have vacancies all of the time because of normal attrition and because
there is a limit of 20 years that someone can serve on a board,? Flahavan
said.
Among those nearing the end of the service is Gainesville attorney Howard
Rosenblatt, who can serve for a maximum of two more years on the Alachua
County draft board. His motivation for serving 18 years already was his own
experience. He was drafted when he graduated from college but was granted a
deferment because he had accepted a teaching job in a school struggling
through integration.
?My perception of the draft board was not based on knowledge but on urban
legend,? Rosenblatt said. ?I thought it was a bunch of old military guys who
would want everybody to serve and be hesitant about giving deferments. I
volunteered because I felt it was important to have people on the board who
were open-minded and sensitive.?
Discussions about reinstituting the draft have come up periodically, but
have not amounted to anything during the past 25 years. It would require an
act of Congress and presidential approval to authorize a draft.
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