English: On May 18th, 2021, the Selective Service Acting Director Craig Brown laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the 104th anniversary of the Selective Service and to honor General Lewis Blaine Hershey, whose pivotal role in the Agency aided in the development of the Selective Service mission.

The Selective Service System that General Hershey helped shape was built to ensure a fair and equitable selection of its citizens--- something that was not easily afforded during a time of great national crisis prior to the establishment of our Agency. Although General George Marshall spoke these words nearly eighty years ago, they still ring true to our mission today:

“I believe the Selective Service provides the only practical and economic method of maintaining the military force and I think with all my heart, the Selective Service is necessary to the maintenance of a true democracy.”

Our Agency continues the mission and promise to uphold our sacred pledge of integrity and continually strengthen our national security partnership with the Armed Services. We continue to develop innovative outreach initiatives to outline the opportunities and benefits associated with registration.

Learn more about Selective Service and our history at https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/, and view our Historical Timeline at https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/timeline/.