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Draft compliance
By Gregg K. Kakesako
rate worst in U.S.
Star-BulletinOnly 73 percent of Hawaii's young men reaching 18 registered for the draft last year, the worst showing of any state.
New Hampshire had the highest compliance rate with the Selective Service System, with 95 percent of eligible men registering.
Ed Nakano, field director of the Selective Service in Hawaii, said the state has always lagged in registration.
"My feeling is, because most kids here don't know they have to register," Nakano said.
By law, Selective Service is forbidden to buy advertising and has to rely on public service announcements and mailings.
Nakano said Selective Service here every year mails postcards to young men reminding them to register.
"We always work with DOE (Hawaii's Department of Education) to speak at local high school assemblies," Nakano added.
Every male citizen between 18 and 25 is required to register with the Selective Service System.
Failing to register is a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though the crime has not been prosecuted in years.
Selective Service registration also is a requirement for obtaining federal benefits, including student loans, job training, government jobs and citizenship for male immigrants.
Today's state-by-state report card by the Selective Service is the first joint effort with the federal Department of Education. It shows that one in five young men in the United States turning 20 this year will fail to register, putting themselves at risk of losing federal benefits.
