1.+Selective+Service+and+the+GI

Name:Jamal Robinson Birthdate:3/19/1920 Date of Act:1917 Interests:Throwing the Pigskin, Dancing

Dear Mama, Today the Selective Service System expanded the draft and eventually provided another 10 million soldiers to meet the armed forces' needs. The routine of

the system was that the volunteers and draftees reported to military bases around the country for eight weeks

of basic training.In this short period,seasoned Sergeants did their best to turn raw recuits into deisciplined,battle-ready GIs. This doesn't sound to bad

mom,but Sergeant Debs Myers, said there is more to learn than basic training and teaching a recuit how to stand at attention,march in step, handle a

rifle and follow the orders.The five million who voulenteered for military service, was not enough to face the challenge of an all-out war on two global fronts,

Europe and the Pacific. I learned today that the initials GI originally stood for"galvanized iron" but was later reinterpreted as "government issue," meaning

uniforms and supplies. In time the abbreviation came to stand for American soldiers. In March 1941, a group of Africa-American men in New York City

enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. This was the first time ther Army Air Corps opened its enlistment to African

Americans(Danzer 563). I have learned alot during my time here. I can't wait to see you again. Your son, Jamal



Flynn, George Q."Selective Service Act, 1917." //American History Online//. Facts On File

Stephens, Jerry E. "Selective Service." In Schultz, David, ed. //Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy//. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003.

Danzer, Gerald A. et. Al. __The Americans__. Evanston: McDougal Little, Inc