"Mamma's Boy" Draft

In Philadelphia's great, drafty 103rd Cavalry Armory, a redhaired, freckle-faced youth stood alone. In attendance on him were ten physicians, a psychiatrist, and 70 Army and civilian workers. It was the day after President Truman had, with great reluctance and distaste, signed the emasculated, 45-day draft extension bill, banning the induction of teenagers. Edward Francis Mooney, 21, was the only inductee that day from 16 eastern Pennsylvania counties (pop. 3,000,000) which had once contributed 350 men a day to the armed forces.

Across the land, it was the same. Four San Antonio draft boards, with a May quota of 36, produced nine men. Instead of 79, Denver found four. Los Angeles, with a quota of 793, would deliver only 170; the whole state of California would draft only 300 instead of 2,500.

However bad the situation in May, it would be far worse in June. With rare exceptions, selective service boards had relied heavily upon teen-agers to fill their quotas. By exempting this class from the "mamma's boy" draft, the House (with unwilling Senate concurrence) had made it an almost draftless draft. The President's order that the boards resume drafting single men between 25 and 30 would produce only about 15,000 eligibles.

Enlistments, too, were sure to drop. In the past year, 90% had been teen-agers who signed up to beat the draft and get a better deal (choice of branch and choice of theater in which to serve). With the immunity granted them by the amended law, the boys' incentive to volunteer was gone. So, in effect, was the draft. By year's end, the Army estimated, it would be losing 55,000 men a month by discharge, receiving only 25,000 replacements.

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