Through the use of several brief case histories, this paper describes the meaning of the draft to a small segment of our adolescent population—those seen in psychotherapy. It is a severe source of anxiety to these patients because of the enforced submission to authority, the fear of expressing violence with the concomitant fear of retaliation and injury, and the homosexual dangers that may arise from enforced submissiveness in an all-male society. For this group of disturbed young men, the draft may provide a resistance in psychotherapy byreinforcing the advantages accrued from sickness. The importance of the deferment to the successful treatment of some adolescents is discussed. Also commented upon are the potential hazards of such action in certain cases. The Vietnam War, which is a particularly intense source of conflict to many adolescents and psychiatrists alike, may make the judicious evaluation of a patient's request for deferment difficult.