Class
I: available for service
Class II: deferred because of an essential job
Class III: deferred because of dependency or hardship
Class IV: deferred because of age, health, or other factors
Draft
boards considered deferments temporary and drew men from deferred
classes when the government needed more soldiers.
Army
requirements for male recruits included:
- height
of 5 feet
-
weight of 105 pounds
-
have at least half of his natural teeth
-
no flat feet
-
no hernia
-
no venereal diseases
-
literate (the Army waived this requirement by the war's
end)
The
average male draftee stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighed
144 pounds, had a 33 1/2-inch chest, a 31-inch waist, and
wore a size 9 1/2 D shoe.
Army
requirements for female recruits included:
- height
of 5 feet
-
weight of 100 pounds
-
2 years of high school
-
age 21 to 45
-
references
-
police check
-
childless
The
government never drafted women. Women volunteered for the
Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). The Corp became a full
Army branch in 1943 and renamed itself the Women's Army Corps
(WAC).
The
average female soldier stood 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighed
128 pounds, had a 26 1/2-inch waist, and wore a size 6-B shoe.
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