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But these volunteers won't be going to war. Instead, they may be sending young men into combat if Congress restores the military draft after a 30-year absence.

The Selective Service System maintains a network of inactive boards -- including seven in Allegheny County -- that can be activated on short notice.

"Preparedness is part of our charter," said Lee Holton, a regional Selective Service official for 16 states, including Pennsylvania.

While the agency has been pressed in recent years to find enough volunteers in some parts of the nation, Pennsylvanians are more eager than most to serve on the nonpaying boards. Only one vacancy exists on the seven five-member boards in Allegheny County, with 19 appointments having been made since 2001.

"People are responsive. They are very public service-oriented," Holton said.

Donald "D.J." Wright, 58, of O'Hara, is one of about 11,000 volunteers across the nation who serve on the dormant draft boards.

"I'm one of those old potbellied guys that when they play the national anthem at the ball game, I take my hat off and put my hand over my heart," said Wright, a draft board member since 1999. "I just believe this is the best country in the world. Whatever we have to do to keep it the best, we should do."

Wright, an Army infantry lieutenant during Vietnam, said his stint in the military helps him appreciate the responsibility of serving on a draft board.

"If anybody is forced into service, it should be everybody. There shouldn't be too many exceptions," said Wright, who owns a business in the Strip District. He has two children, including a draft-age son.

The draft was abolished in 1973 in the final months of the Vietnam War. Registering for the draft was suspended in 1975 as the nation converted to an all-volunteer military. Selective Service registration was reinstated in 1980 in reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Since then, the law has required that males who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens register within 30 days of their 18th birthdays.

About 14.3 million men, ages 18 to 25, currently are registered. Of those, 550,900 are Pennsylvania residents.

A new draft any time soon is considered unlikely, though the war in Iraq and continued demands on U.S. troop strength have fed speculation that conscription could return -- regardless of who sits in the White House. About 135,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have stated they oppose reinstating the draft, which would require an act of Congress.

Some lawmakers are pushing for a draft.

Twin bills were introduced in Congress in January 2003 that would revive the draft. The measures, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., and U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., would create The Universal National Service Act. Under the proposal, all citizens and permanent residents ages 18 to 26 would be required to perform two years of national service. Those not chosen for military duty would serve in civilian roles assigned to national defense.

Current law requires any new draft to be conducted by national lottery.

Steven Williams, 53, of the North Side, said sitting on a draft board "is a scary responsibility" because of inevitable battlefield deaths. Williams, a newspaper business consultant, has been a local board member for 10 years.

"If the draft comes up, we're all going to be scared," he said. "But you have to have these structures in place as part of the national defense shield."

The Selective Service System is responsible for maintaining registration files and filling vacancies on local boards. Appointees can serve up to 20 years. The current board system was set up in 1979, which meant many of the original appointments began expiring in 1999.

Holton said nearly 1,500 vacancies were created in the region she represents during the last five years. About 1,000 were filled with new volunteers, and 475 currently are vacant.

"We're always recruiting board members," she said.

Most U.S. citizens over 18 who don't have felony convictions are eligible. There are exceptions. Sitting judges, police officers and military personnel are not permitted on draft boards because of potential conflicts of interest.

The applicants' files are submitted to the governor of each state. Governors forward a list of recommendations to the director of the Selective Service System, who makes appointments.

Volunteers undergo an initial 12-hour training session and participate in annual training, reviewing sample cases. In the event of a draft, the boards would make decisions on requests for deferments. Exceptions might include hardship, religious reasons, medical training or being a conscientious objector to war.

"There are reasons for exceptions that can be documented and proven," Wright said. "If somebody comes in for a religious deferral, you have to know that the religion they are practicing is in fact a religion."

Mary Potter, 61, of Morgan Township, Greene County, said she volunteered to serve on a local Selective Service board five years ago to serve her country.

"I'm a flag-waver," said Potter, a homemaker, mother and grandmother. "I think it's important for average people to participate in their government, and this is one way I choose to do that."

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