Will this nation's youths come forward to serve in the military like their forefathers during times of war?

In a poll taken after last week's terrorist attacks, more than half (55 percent) of the college-aged men and women surveyed said they would not be willing to serve in the military in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The poll was conducted last Friday among 10,525 youths ages 18-24 by CollegeClub.com, one of the largest college-oriented Web sites on the Internet.

Of that total, more men (62 percent) said they would be willing to serve than women (27 percent).

A sampling of students at area colleges shows that the reasons why some would or wouldn't want to serve if their country called are decidedly mixed.

''The reason I say no is that I don't care for this president that much,'' said Benita Garnett, 22, a law and psychology major at Paine College. ''You have to trust your president.''

''If they really needed, me I believe I would go,'' said Achilleus Lewis, 18, a math major at Paine. ''I would do it for my country. The States are my home.''

''I don't think I would stop going to school,'' said Patrick Warrick, 22, a marketing major at Augusta State University. ''If they really needed me I would go. It depends on how bad things get.''

''I certainly would,'' said Matthew Bonitatibus, 22, a business major at Augusta State. ''I just take personal offense to it when they attack your home country.''

''No, I wouldn't,'' said Elizabeth Cavallaro, 24, a student at the Medical College of Georgia. ''I don't believe violence is the way to handle things. I also think we need to look at the reasons why this happened.''

''I don't think the proper response is another violent act,'' said Perry Sheffield, 25, also a student at MCG. ''I would advocate a dialogue before an aggressive action.''

''I'd go,'' said University of South Carolina Aiken senior Areon Atkinson, 22, adding that he wouldn't enlist but would serve if drafted. ''How many people could say they were involved with the war? We're going to win.''

''I'd go to support our country and my brother,'' said Tim Meesseman, an 18-year-old freshman at USC Aiken who has a brother in the Air Force.

Officials at local recruiting offices for the Army and Marines say they've seen an increase in the number of people wanting to join. Recruiters with the Navy and Air Force said it is too early to say whether the attacks have affected their numbers.

At the Army recruiting station in Southgate Plaza, the number of walk-ins have doubled, from the normal five per day to about 10, Staff Sgt. Harry Waiters said. The number of daily phone calls seeking information about joining has increased from 25 to 80.

''It shows there are some individuals out there that have concern about this nation,'' Staff Sgt. Waiters said. ''They have a sense of pride.

Gunnery Sgt. Isaac Ford said the Marine Corps office at Southgate typically has about five walk-ins and calls per month but has had about 25 calls and walk-ins since last week. He estimated that the average age of those inquiring about enlisting was about 25, adding that many of those were former Marines or veterans.

That most of the people wanting to enlist are beyond college age is not surprising to Sgt. 1st Class Andre Jackson, station commander at the Army recruiting office in Evans.

''Generation X now doesn't draw from patriotism anymore,'' he said. ''I guess they are afraid and don't know what to expect.''

Not so, says one woman.

Since she was a child, Lisa Addison says she has wanted to serve her country overseas. After the terrorist attacks, she says she definitely plans to enlist.

''It made me want to fight for my country,'' Ms. Addison, 18, said as she visited the Marine Corps recruiting station at Southgate. ''I was going to wait to go to college, and go in as an officer. But I want to do it sooner so I can be a part of everything.

''The people that are responsible for the attacks are going to get theirs.''

Ms. Addison's enthusiasm encouraged her brother, Joseph, to also inquire about a future in the armed forces.

''I want to help do something,'' Mr. Addison, 20, said. ''The more people we get, the better chance we have.''

A look at the draft

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act in 1940, creating the country's first peacetime draft and formally establishing the Selective Service as an independent federal agency. Here are some facts about the last draft and any impending one.

The draft, which required almost all men ages 18 to 25 to register, ended in 1973, and the United States converted to an all-voluntary military.

Registering for the draft was suspended in April 1975. It was resumed in 1980 by President Carter in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Before Congress made changes to the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress toward a degree. Under the current law, a college student can have his induction postponed only until the end of the current semester. A senior can be postponed until the end of the academic year.

A draft held today would use a lottery system under which a man would spend only one year in first priority for the draft - either the calendar year he turned 20 or the year his deferment ended. Each year after that he would be placed in a succeedingly lower priority group and his liability for the draft would lessen accordingly. Eighteen-year-olds and those who turn 19 during the draft probably wouldn't be drafted.

According to current draft plans, Selective Service would have to deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days of the onset of a crisis.

The Alternate Service Program would provide public service work assignments in communities in lieu of military service for men classified as conscientious objectors to all military service.

Some of the classifications of Selective Service are: 1-A, available immediately for military service; 1-A-O, Conscientious Objector, opposed to training and military service requiring the use of arms; 1-O, Conscientious Objector, opposed to both types (combatant and noncombatant) of military training and service; 3-A Hardship Deferment, deferred from military service because service would cause hardship on his family.

Source: Selective Service System

Staff Writers Albert Ross Jr. and Josh Gelinas contributed to this article.

Reach Mike Wynn at (706) 823-3218 or mwynn@augustachronicle.com.