 To make up the shortfall, the Army had to rely upon the draft, which caused much domestic opposition, especially as the way in which draft system operated with generous exemptions for those attending university and college led to the burden of the draft falling disproportionately upon men from poorer families.As most of the 18 and 19-year-old draftees had a high school degree or less, this also led to a decline in the Army's intellectual standards with many officers complaining that most of the draftees were not intelligent enough to be trained for technical duties or promoted up the ranks.Throughout the war, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Earle Wheeler, pressed very strongly for the reserves and national guards to be called out, saying the war was steadily ruining the U.S. Army.