Deferment

World War I placed men with dependents or essential work in Classes II and III, temporarily deferred or exempted but still available. In World War II, Class II covered occupational deferments, including II-B for war production and II-C for agriculture, and Class III covered dependency.

A deferment was not permanent. Classes were added and abolished during the war and boards were ordered to reclassify men, so a classification history may show several changes before a man was inducted or the war ended.