Eight American military veterans of the Vietnam/Cold War era describe their service and its influence on their lives. Their service is shaped by the history of America’s raising of its military forces with particular emphasis on the use of mandatory military service (the draft, Selective Service) in 1917–18 and 1940–73. The final chapter provides the authors’ reflections on the challenges facing the American military in the third decade of the twenty-first century and the possibility of a return to drafted military service after a half century of an All-Volunteer Force.

Eight American military veterans of the Vietnam/Cold War era describe their service and its influence on their lives. Their service is shaped by the history of America’s raising of its military forces with particular emphasis on the use of mandatory military service (the draft, Selective Service) in 1917–18 and 1940–73. The final chapter provides the authors’ reflections on the challenges facing the American military in the third decade of the twenty-first century and the possibility of a return to drafted military service after a half century of an All-Volunteer Force.