The Draft Hits Kennewick: Benton County’s First Call
Seventy-nine local men are expected to report for duty as the Selective Service lottery begins to reshape the Tri-Cities home front.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Benton County local exemption board has announced that the first call for the selective draft will require seventy-nine men. While the official order is pending, authorities expect double that number to be summoned for physical examinations. The list of serial numbers, drawn in Washington, D.C., will soon be posted publicly at the board's office. Following the lottery results, individual notices will be mailed to residents, directing them to report to the board's office on specific dates. Exemptions are available for select groups, including ministers, divinity students, and citizens of Germany, provided they file formal claims with the local board. County Auditor J.C. Syfford, alongside Sheriff C.E. Duffy and Dr. F.M. Crosby, are managing the process.
“No compensation is provided for the publication of this list, this request is made of the press with the hope and expectation that it will cause the publication to be made as a patriotic and gratuitous aid.”
This article captures the tension of 1917, when the Selective Service Act fundamentally changed the relationship between the state and the individual. Today, the records of these local men, including those who were drafted alongside those who sought exemptions, remain a testament to the local impact of the 'war to end all wars.'
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