Draft Registrations are Not Military Service Records

Records of military draft registrations are not the same as military service records. Draft registration requirements have varied over time and usually required males of a certain age to register. There may also have been citizenship requirements (or not) and the upper end of the registration age may not be what a person expects. Draft registrations serve as a quasi-census of those who were required to register. The appearance of a name on a registration does not imply that the person actually saw military service. They should be searched whenever a “person of interest” fit the registration qualifications.