Older thread here...just an addendum.

Defense Department Celebrates 35 Years of All-Volunteer Force
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008 – On July 1, the nation will mark 35 years of an armed military made up soley of volunteers.

Until July 1973, the military operated under an involuntary draft policy to produce manpower to fight the country’s wars. Draftees served during both world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Opposition to the war in Vietnam brought extreme scrutiny to the draft, and the public’s increasing dissatisfaction took its toll during President Richard Nixon’s administration. Congress eventually approved the institution of the all-volunteer force, and although the framework for selective service remained in place, the armed forces stopped drafting people to serve.

For the past 35 years, volunteers manned 100 percent of the armed forces during the nation’s times of need, including the Cold War as well as conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo. They filled the ranks and fought in the Persian Gulf, Panama and Grenada.

Retention flourishes among the services – in both the active duty and reserve components – as they continue to operate in Iraq and Afghanistan and conduct humanitarian missions at home and throughout the world, a senior Defense Department official said.