The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
Lukens Steel Company

Lukens Steel Company held government contracts to manufacture steel plates for locomotives and ships.  Because of the importance of this production to the war effort, Lukens employees (and those of other steel companies) could be exempt from the draft.  These men were “considered indispensable to the production of material already contracted for by the United States and Allied Governments.”  They had an important job to do, just like the soldiers who fought overseas.