letters to the editor
DMV demands 15 year old register for Selective Service

I want to let you know about a very serious situation that is taking place in South Carolina. This is most important if you have young children or grandchildren, or know someone with a child who is now or is approaching 15 years of age. It is only now affecting young men but may well spread to girls as well.

This happened to me this weekend when I took my son to the DMV to test for his beginners' driving permit. He had turned 15 a few months ago, but we just had time this weekend to go to take the test. He had studied and was excited about this important event. After standing in line, filling out the paperwork, and presenting about five different forms of identification, we were finally called to the window. The young lady there was very helpful, checked all our information and prepared the test.

It was then she asked: "Have you filled out a Selective Service Form?" Shocked by this I explained my son was only 15 years old, and we would think about that when he turned 18. She said, "No, this is mandatory in South Carolina. To get a permit or a license you must first register with Selective Service." And there it was on the form. Even worse-it applied to young men 13-17!

For those of you who don't know, registering with Selective Service registers you to be drafted. And just because we don't have an active draft today does not mean we will not have one soon. It is my opinion that the return of the draft is coming very soon. The draft is very different from voluntarily enlisting in the military. In the draft you have to go whether you are ready, willing or able or not

I was outraged! I demanded to see exactly what law allowed them to enlist a child in the draft. She said she would get the manager and in the mean time he could go on with his test.

After about 10 minutes, the manager appeared. She had a copy of SC 56-1-125, a law that seemed, at first, to indicate this was mandatory. Further, she said she had called her state supervisor and the DMV helpline and they confirmed that no male could get a permit, ID, or license unless they registered for the draft. I told her in no uncertain terms that I was not registering my 15-year-old son for the draft and that this violated Federal Law. She said then that we would just cancel his test on the computer, or I could go into the testing room and stop him. I said no, let him finish the test, and then we would make a decision. In the mean time, dazed as I was, I made some calls to confirm this was in the S.C. law and to read it top to bottom.

And there it was-in the last paragraph-almost hidden after all the language that would make you think that a child had to register for the draft to get any kind of ID from the state of South Carolina : "The applicant, parent of guardian may decline the Selective Service System registration. If the applicant parent or guardian declines Selective System registration, the department may issue a license or identification card, but the applicant must renew the license or identification card upon attaining eighteen years of age."

So we were right back where we started, except that I had been lied to. Thousands of others that day had been lied to.

Registering for the Selective Service is, unfortunately, the law. But not until age 18. This is a decision that a young man must make for himself, after long and somber reflection, when he turns 18. This is not a decision to be made lightly, without time to think, when a child is 15 and excited about getting his driving permit. Each person needs to make this decision based on their personal conscience, their own situation and the circumstances of the time-when they turn 18.

I am contacting everyone I know to make them aware that this practice is taking place. Schools and PTOs must be notified. I am also contacting all my legislators and elected representatives to try to get it repealed-or at the very least, make it mandatory that applicants be informed that this is optional, not mandatory. I hope you will do the same.

Nothing on the DMV website let's you know that their is an opt-out provision. This all leads you to believe it is mandatory. www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/default.aspx?n=general_driver_license_information#SelectiveService

Here is the section of law:www.scstatehouse.net/code/t56c001.htm. See section 125

Clayton Ingram

cingram1161@sc.rr.com