Selective Service intended to provide that preparation, and also conveyed to many the first hint at the possibility of war. By the time World War II ended, the draft had touched the lives of over 20 million American men and sent some 11 million of them into the armed services. Like the characters in Simon's play, the majority of the draftees found themselves inducted into the army. In 1945, when the army reached its peak of 8.3 million members, it owed more than 7 million of these to the draft. Indeed, any man carrying a Selective Service card during the early 1940s had only to wait by the mailbox for his "Greeting," or his summons to induction.
The induction notice initiated a series of events that moved men from their homes into the armed services. Although few third-party accounts could actually prepare one for the rigors of military training, such books as Your Year in the Army by Major John Kenderdine offered novices a glimpse into military life. After receiving induction notices, those men found able to serve had two weeks in which to wind up their personal affairs. The farewell to civilian life usually involved a party of sorts.
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