The Pennsylvania branch of the United States military draft is now expanding their horizons, but maybe a little too far.
The Selective Service System (SSS) accidentally sent over 14,000 military registration notices to Pennsylvania men born between 1893 and 1897. The problem is that these men are most certainly dead — with the youngest being a ripe 117 years old.
The notices were sent along with registration notices sent to men born between 1993 and 1997.
This is the first time such an error has been made. In the Pennsylvania SSS system, birth years only have a two-digit code. Thus, those who were born in 1897 have the same code as those who were born in 1997.
An agency spokesman claimed that this has never occurred before, and the error was a result of a miscommunication in the transferring of drivers’ license records.
According to the BBC, family members in Pennsylvania received draft notices for dead loved ones. This resulted in extreme confusion.
In a statement, the SSS stated, “any inconvenience caused the families of these men and assures them that the error has been corrected and no action is required on their part”.
All American men must register for the draft after their 18th birthday. U.S. immigrants must register if they are between the ages of 18 and 25. Although the draft registry is still in place, the U.S. military has not utilized it since the Vietnam War, as participation in the military is now entirely voluntary.