[msn4med1975]

None of the men in my family, and this was pre 1970 were required to serve, ie hey you've turned 21 and now you have to go fight for two years. My father opted to enlist in the late sixties and retired 91-ish. What stopped in 1973 was the draft, ie being randomly selected to go fight without any say so in the matter. We drafted in high numbers during most wars and apparently plan on doing that again.

PS, I just thought about something. This may just be a terminology thing. Because so many folks I know have had to return home for mandatory service, I think of that as it's expected of everyone to serve for a few years as opposed to what it has been in this country. By that I mean, folks do end up fighting and maybe longer than they want but it's not expected that every man of a certain age goes and fights.