I noticed all six of the Laitala brothers had draft cards dated October 16, 1940, so I had to look that up – it was the first peacetime draft in the US! All males between the ages of 21 to 35 were required to register. They called it R-Day and there were lines out the doors all over the country. Check out the pictures:
- https://www.historynet.com/october-16-1940-uncle-sams-got-your-number-guys/
- https://www.historylink.org/File/5572
You can hear or read FDR’s radio address from that day: https://www.docsteach.org/component/ml_documents/document/fdr-selective-service-day
I made a table for the Laitala brothers and we get an interesting snapshot of them on this day. Only two were still in Chisholm. For the name of the person who will always know your address, all listed their father except Wayne listed their mother. They were tall, which I did not realize since my grandfather was the shortest one of the bunch. I met some of them when I was little, but of course everyone seemed tall to me then.
Information from the Laitala Brothers Draft Cards:
| Name | Age | Lives in | Works at | Lists | Height | Weight | Draft Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William | 33 | Itasca | Mesaba Cliffs Mining | His father | 5’9″ | 180 | Oct 16, 1940 | Crippled right hand |
| Edward | 30 | Chisholm | None | His father | 5’11” | 190 | Oct 16, 1940 | |
| Sulo | 29 | Minneapolis | Diamond Iron Works | His father | 5’8” | 165 | Oct 16, 1940 | |
| Wayne | 26 | Waconia | School District | His mother | 6’ | 170 | Oct 16, 1940 | |
| Arvid | 24 | Chisholm | Family farm | His father | 6’ | 155 | Oct 16, 1940 | |
| Veikko | 21 | Minneapolis | Electric Machinery | His father | 5”10” | 160 | Oct 16, 1940 |
Then I had to check the Holman brothers. They were a bit younger, so only two of them had to register on October 16, 1940. The rest registered in the following years. Look at all the scars and such in the notes!
Information from the Holman Brothers Draft Cards:
| Name | Age | Lives in | Works at | Lists | Height | Weight | Draft Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luvern | 26 | Ortonville | None | 5’10” | 160 | Oct 16, 1940 | ||
| Glen | 25 | Ortonville | None | His wife | 5’7” | 158 | Oct 16, 1940 | Index finger on left hand cut off |
| Earl | 18 | Ortonville | NP Ry Co | His mother | 6’2” | 193 | Jun 31, 1942 | Scar on right hand and right leg |
| James | 18 | Minneapolis | Plymouth Bowling Alley | His mother | 5’9” | 132 | Jan 2, 1946 | All fingers on both hands missing |
| Robert | 21 | Minneapolis | None | His mother | 5’12” | 180 | Apr 1, 1946 | Scar on right and left cheek |
Later that year, a Gallup poll reported that 92% of respondents said that the draft was being handled fairly.
If you want more information on our ancestors’ military service: https://jillholman.com/genealogy/military-service/
If you want to find the draft cards for other ancestors:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_World_War_II_Draft_Records