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Did the Selective Service System and the draft boards select younger registrants first?

Were 30-year olds less likely to be selected in the early years of the war, or more likely to be selected in 1944-1945?

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    Welcome to History:SE. Given your date range, I assume you are only interested in the US draft? Jan 10, 2019 at 20:54
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    Long ago I read in a source I don't remember, that the USA drafted 18-year-olds first, allegedly because they didn't have wives or jobs yet and weren't old enough to vote. And then when it had a bunch of 18-year-olds drafted, trained, armed and disciplined, it started drafting older men with families, trusting that the 18-year-olds would support the government in making the older men suffer as the 18-year-olds had. I don't know if that is correct for the USA in WWII or for other countries i other wars.
    – MAGolding
    Jan 10, 2019 at 22:30
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    What research have you done?
    – MCW
    Jan 10, 2019 at 23:34
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    Your conjecture is wrong. The average age of soldiers in WW II was 26. As published by NPR: 1940 - Congress enacts the Selective Training and Service Act. All males between the ages of 21 and 35 are ordered to register for the draft and the first national lottery is held. As World War II progresses, the draft age is lowered to 18 and men are called to service not by lottery number but by age, with the oldest going first. From pbs.org/newshour/extra/app/uploads/2014/03/… Jan 11, 2019 at 2:50
  • It's worth noting that the current draft system explicitly prioritizes men by their age; 20-year-olds are most likely to be called, followed by 21-year-olds and 22-year-olds. But this system wasn't implemented until after WWII. Jan 11, 2019 at 14:40

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