But say a volunteer was due to ETS on 6 December, 1941. Did Roosevelt's declaration of emergency in May freeze all those enlistments?

No. There were also certain caveats in the subsequent executive order relating to extension of service.

The Selective Training and Service Act as passed in 1940 exempted certain classes of Army veterans from liability for service by statute in peacetime only, but like the vast majority of male citizens and aliens, they were not exempt from the registration provision. If they were in the age bracket for registration upon discharge (twenty-one to thirty-five inclusive), they were required to register, and under the Selective Service Regulations would be placed in Class IV-A (man who has completed service):

SEC.5(b) In time of peace, the following persons shall be relieved from liability to serve in any reserve component of the land or naval forces of the United States and from liability for training and service under section 3 (b)--

5(b)(1) Any man who shall have satisfactorily served for at least three consecutive years in the Regular Army before or after or partially before and partially after the time fixed for registration under section 2.

5(b)(2) Any man who as a member of the active National Guard shall have satisfactorily served for at least one year in active Federal service in the Army of the United States, and subsequent thereto for at least two consecutive years in the Regular Army or in the active National Guard, before or after or partially before and partially after the time fixed for registration under section 2.

5(b)(3) Any man who is in the active National Guard at the time fixed for registration under section 2, and who shall have satisfactorily served therein for at least six consecutive years, before or after or partially before and partially after the time fixed for such registration.

A law signed on 16 August 1941 by President Roosevelt permitted the release from service by application of men who were twenty-eight or older, or who had developed hardship to their dependents while in service. It also deferred draft registrants who were twenty-eight or older.

With the service extension act signed into law on 18 August 1941, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8862 on 21 August 1941. It extended the term of service of men inducted under the Selective Training and Service Act, men and units of the National Guard, and men of the Regular Army, Regular Army Reserve, and Enlisted Reserve Corps by eighteen months. It also gave the Secretary of War certain powers to release men after only twelve months of service. The provisions of Executive Order 8862:

• 1.) Extended the term of enlistment of men inducted under the Selective Training and Service Act by eighteen months, unless sooner discharged; “Notwithstanding such extension of the periods of training and service, the Secretary of War shall, as the interests of national defense permit, release from training and service and transfer to a reserve component of the land forces, as provided in section 3 (c) of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, as amended, all those persons who shall have completed twelve months of such training and service. The release of such persons from training and service and their transfer to a reserve component of the land forces shall be accomplished with a view to the early creation of a large, trained reserve while, at the same time, maintaining the Army in immediate readiness for use in the defense of the nation.

• 2.) Extended the term of service of all men “who are now, or who may hereafter be” in the Regular Army, Enlisted Reserve Corps, and National Guard of the United States by eighteen months, unless sooner discharged. The term of service of National Guard units in active federal service was also extended by eighteen months, unless sooner discharged; “After completion in each case of twelve months of active military service by such persons and units, and as the interests of national defense permit, the Secretary of War shall provide for the release of such persons or units from active military service under such regulations as he shall from time to time prescribe.”

• 3.) "The periods of enlistment of all persons who are now, or who may hereafter be, enlisted in the Regular Army, the Regular Army Reserve, the Enlisted Reserve Corps, and the National Guard of the United States are hereby extended for a period of eighteen months, unless such persons are sooner discharged. After completion in each case of the unextended period of enlistment by such persons, and as the interests of national defense permit, the Secretary of War shall provide for their discharge under such regulations as he shall from time to time prescribe."

The Army, noting that the "normal" term of federal service was twelve months, published tables of how many men could be released from units each month as their "normal" term of service expired or other conditions were established, as well as priorities for release after application:

• a.) "Dependency and hardship cases whenever they are established through normal procedure."

• b.) "Men enlisted for three years in the Regular Army and men enlisted for one year in the Army of the United States at expiration of term of enlistment. Those who desire and are qualified for reenlistment will be re-enlisted in the Regular Army and will not be included in quotas for release listed in Inclosure 1."

• c.) "Selective Service and National Guard enlisted men who request release from active duty, in writing, and who had attained their 28th birthday on or before July 1, 1941, and prior to their induction, in the order of length of active Federal service."

• d.) "Enlisted men (except Regular Army) who are married, who have completed their normal term of Federal service in order of the length of Federal service."

• e.) "Enlisted men of all components who have completed their normal term of Federal service in order of the length of Federal service."

Draftees were assigned to the Enlisted Reserve Corps as per the requirements of the Selective Service law, while National Guardsmen were assigned to the state detachments of their state; the detachments were returned to state control without personnel for this purpose, so the men could be assigned to a National Guard “unit” while in a reserve status. For example, the 30th Division, inducted into federal service on 16 September 1940, released 6,000 National Guardsmen and draftees in the fall of 1941. The 35th Division, inducted into federal service on 23 December 1940, released 2,491 men in October and November 1941, and had been scheduled to release 2,000 more by 1 March 1942 before the outbreak of war disrupted the plan.

On 8 December 1941, with the United States at war, the provisions of section 5 of the Selective Training and Service Act relating to men who had completed service in peacetime ceased to be effective, as did Class IV-A, and these men were now liable for service. On 18 November 1942, the Selective Service Regulations were amended to provide that Class IV-A should be used to classify registrants who had reached the age of forty-five and had not been inducted for service. With the declaration of war, draftees and National Guardsmen that had been placed in a reserve status, along with all other Enlisted Reserve Corps members and members of the Regular Army Reserve, were ordered to active duty, or back to it. On 23 December 1941, instructions were issued that men were to be ordered to active duty before 1 February 1942. The text of the original document reads, in part:

WAR DEPARTMENT

THE ADJUTANT GENERAL’S OFFICE

WASHINGTON

AG 220.31 ERC (12-18-41) EA-A

SUBJECT: Recall of enlisted men of all components including National Guard.

TO: Commanding Generals, all Corps Areas, Departments.

1.) Letter from this office, above subject and file, dated December 18, 1941, is revoked.

2.) Except as indicated in paragraph 3 below, all enlisted men of the Regular Army Reserve, the Enlisted Reserve Corps, and of the National Guard of the United States not now in active Federal service will be called to active duty not later than February 1, 1942.

3.) Enlisted men who are necessary to the maintenance of the national health, safety, or interest and those key men essential to national defense, as set forth in paragraphs 351 and 352 of the Selective Service Regulations, will be deferred. Those who claim dependency will be deferred only where the dependency is established beyond a reasonable doubt and is critical in nature. In all questionable cases involving deferment the confidential opinion of the local board will be obtained through the state headquarters for Selective Service.

4.) Enlisted men will be processed through reception centers. Assignment will be in accordance with the following general principles:

4a.) Only men qualified for full military duty will be assigned to the field forces.

4b.) Men who have at least three months’ active Federal Service during the two-year period immediately prior to reporting for duty will be dispatched direct from reception centers to units or installations. All others will be shipped to replacement training centers to fill quotas allotted thereto from your corps area.

4c.) Men will be assigned to the branch of prior service and where practicable, to their former unit or installation, if it is within the continental United States.

4d.) Men will be assigned to units or installations in grade, to be absorbed as vacancies occur.