 Nevertheless, some dissenting voices in Congress continued to appeal to the history of voluntary American military service as preferable for a democracy.The onset of the Cold War coincided with the time men born during the Great Depression began to reach military age.That the Depression had resulted in a substantial reduction of the birth rate was frequently pointed out by Hershey and other supporters of the draft to back up their doubts regarding the wisdom of returning to an all-volunteer military at a time when it was known that the number of men reaching military age was going to fall significantly.