Conscription of people with disabilities explained

Military conscription of people with disabilities has occurred on various occasions historically.

Cases

Below are listed known cases of the drafting of disabled persons.

• In Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, more than 480 people with intellectual disabilities were conscripted.^[1]
• In the United States during the Vietnam War, there was a disability draft under the Johnson Administration, called Project 100,000. Men who had previously been rejected from military service due to physical or mental disabilities were re-classified and sent to the frontlines in Vietnam.^[2]
• In North Korea: The conscription physical examination has eased the criteria for military service suitability due to low height, and even short stature persons (mostly 140 to 150 centimeters. 142 centimeters,^[3] 145 centimeters.^[4] etc.) are conscripted. The criteria for exemption from conscription for short people were 138 centimeters or less, and there were times when the criteria for conscription exemption for short people were not applied.

See also

• Conscription
• Disability abuse
• McNamara fallacy
• Project 100,000

Notes and References

1. News: 2005-09-19. ＜旧陸軍＞知的障害者も徴兵 大戦中、４８０人以上（毎日新聞）. More than 480 people with intellectual disabilities were conscripted during the [1937] war. japanese. Mainichi shinbun. May 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220926211710/http://www.asyura2.com/0505/senkyo14/msg/896.html. September 26, 2022.
2. Web site: Lisa . Hsiao . Project Project 100,000: The Great Society's Answer to Military Manpower Needs in Vietnam . 1989 . May 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220927074410/https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1014&context=vietnamgeneration. September 27, 2022 .
3. News: 2012-04-02. North Korea cuts minimum height for military conscripts as past famine consequences hit. AFP. May 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20181207115717/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/north-korea-cuts-minimum-height-for-military-conscripts-as-past-famine-consequences-hit/news-story/f4c58a90e90e51e73d5ae122fb6e4367. December 7, 2018.
4. News: 2012-04-02. "키 145cm, 몸무게 43kg이면 북한군 현역". If you are 145 cm tall and weigh 43 kg, you are serving in the North Korean army. . Korean. Daily NK. May 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20221003114728/https://www.newdaily.co.kr/site/data/html/2017/06/23/2017062300017.html. October 3, 2022.