# Charlie Daniels' Draft Deferment **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366 "2003-05-25T05:37:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/1 "2003-05-25T05:37:44Z")
Well since this message board has discussed John Wayne and George Bush’s draft status and/or military records what about right-wing hero Charlie Daniels? He has been very outspoken lately (his Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch for example). Well, if he wants to start placing blame and playing “j’accuse”, he has to realize that HE is opening himself up to scrutiny. I have surfed the web for 2 months and found that he has NO military service whatsoever. He was of draft age in the mid 1950’s AND the draft was in effect then. Since, he did not serve a day in the military, what was his reason for his draft deferment? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/2 "2003-05-25T21:16:11Z")
Well this is a first! wolf\_meister self-reported his post saying “this might not be in the right forum.” Then another poster with a wolf-like name reported it also saying “Is this in the right forum?” Uncanny. Off to GQ with you! But remember, just the facts ma’am. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/3 "2003-05-25T21:42:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > \*\*I have surfed the web for 2 months and found that he has NO military service whatsoever. He was of draft age in the mid 1950’s AND the draft was in effect then. Since, he did not serve a day in the military, what was his reason for his draft deferment? \*\* Ummm… perhaps he was draft-eligible and just never got drafted? Most people who registered never actually get called up, yknow. Interesting hobby y’got there. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/4 "2003-05-25T22:00:09Z")
He might not have had a deferment. I’ve looked at the draft induction figures for 1955-1960 and ten years later. Adjusted for the assumed difference in the population, it seems the numbers were still lower then. The big difference, as I see it, is that there was no war or high likelihood of war back then. So I imagine men were less likely to care about the deferment, which means one’s chances of being drafted were considerably smaller. If you were male and the right age in 1966 or 1967, you could savely assume no deferment meant you were going to be drafted. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/5 "2003-05-25T22:09:29Z")
Just because someone was of a given age and there was a draft going on, does NOT mean all men of age are drafted. It does not mean he got a deferment. He could have gotten a very high draft number. From his [website](http://www.charliedaniels.com/cdb/cdbio.html) he was born in 1936 and graduated high school in 1955, let’s say he was 18. From the [Selective Service](http://www.sss.gov/induct.htm) website, about 153,000 men were inducted that year, 138,000 the next, and 138,000 in 1957 (The Korean Armistice was signed in July, 1953, so numbers were lower than, say, the roughly 552,000 selected in 1951). The number of men drafted was (1958)-142,246, (1959)-96,153, (1960)-86,602, (1961)-118,586, and (1962)-82,060. Then CD turned 25 (about then). ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/6 "2003-05-26T00:28:38Z")
I graduated high school at 18 in 1969 and was one-A for at least a year and a half. The draft was on then and they had the lottery system I think my number was right around 175 and the projection for Florida in 1970 was that they would call up guys with numbers up to 175. I was sweating for awhile but was never called. Whew. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/7 "2003-05-26T02:29:09Z")
Maybe he was gay. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/8 "2003-05-26T05:07:31Z")
I don’t know the details, but he had the tip of one finger severed the year he graduated high school. If his local board had their quota, that might have left him off the list. (I also do not remember whether the local draft boards could include volunteers in their quotas. If they could, then he might have been passed over simply because a greater number of kids in his local demographic were likely to volunteer.) (I do find ironic his totally erroneous use of the epithet _mugwump_ in his “letter to Hollywood” silliness.) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/9 "2003-05-26T07:17:24Z")
**wolf\_meister** , if you’re that interested, a person’s Selective Service System classification record is a matter of public record — you can request a transcript whether the person is living or dead, with or without his permission. (On the other hand, a living person’s Selective Service _registration_ is protected under the Privacy Act.) So make a [Freedom of Information Act](http://www.sss.gov/records.htm) request to the S.S.S. for a copy of Charlie’s classification record. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/10 "2003-05-26T07:24:44Z")
P.S. Although that S.S.S. page asks for the person’s address at the time of registration, you don’t need an exact address. Charlie Daniels graduated from high school in Goldston, North Carolina in 1955. So his full name, date of birth, and residence as Goldston, NC, should be sufficient info. I’ve gotten records with less specific information. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/11 "2003-05-26T07:45:24Z")
P.P.S. Charles Edward Daniels was born on October 28, 1936. ---
**Author:** ![zigaretten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@zigaretten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zigaretten)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/12 "2003-05-26T19:01:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > (I do find ironic his totally erroneous use of the epithet _mugwump_ in his “letter to Hollywood” silliness.) mugwump: “…a somewhat humorous name for a person in authority who thinks they are more important than they are…” Looks to me like a reasonable use of the word. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/13 "2003-05-26T20:01:13Z")
Even using that odd definition, none of the Hollywood types to whom Daniels is addressing his rant are “in authority.” Additionally, there is irony in using the word to describe war protestors since the etymology of mugwump is from a New England indian word for “war leader”. Mugwump is generally used to mean someone who withdraws support from their own party or a politically independent cuss: the sort of thing that one would expect Daniels to cheer–as long as they did not oppose his views, of course. (Are you sure you didn’t accidentally copy the definition for “muckety-muck”? That word (or its earlier variation “high muck-a-muck”) have the meaning you presented.) ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/14 "2003-05-26T20:18:51Z")
Maybe he was using “mugwump” in the [William S. Burroughs](http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue49.html) sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/15 "2003-05-26T20:19:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zigaretten \* > \*\*mugwump: “…a somewhat humorous name for a person in authority who thinks they are more important than they are…” > > Looks to me like a reasonable use of the word. \*\* Where did you get that use of the word mugwump? From Random House > [@](#): > > mug-wump (mug’wump ) n. > 1. a Republican who refused to support the > party nominee, James G. Blaine, in the > presidential campaign of 1884. > 2. a person who takes an independent position. > Derived words > –mug’wump er-y, mug’wump ism, n. or > [@](#): > > mugwump > Part of Speech noun > Pronunciation muh gwuhmp > Definition 1. one who cannot make up his or her mind on political issues. > > Derived Forms mugwumpery, n. ---
**Author:** ![zigaretten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/91b2a8/32.png) [@zigaretten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zigaretten)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/16 "2003-05-26T21:21:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > Where did you get that use of the word mugwump? From [World Wide Words](http://www.quinion.com/words/weirdwords/ww-mug1.htm): > [@](#): > > “Mugwump was brought into English in the early nineteenth century as a humorous term for a boss, bigwig, grand panjandrum, or other person in authority, often one of a minor and inconsequential sort……… > > (followed by conventional 1884 election definition, followed by……) > > There is also a slangy sense—less known these days, I believe—of a person who has been persuaded by his possession of a minor official position into a sense of self-importance, often becoming obnoxious as a result.” Interestingly, this definition is not “less known” to myself, and I’m from North Carolina, same as Charlie Daniels. Any other Tarheels familiar with this usage? Perhaps it’s a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/17 "2003-05-26T21:42:28Z")
Well, the OED certainly supports the older meaning. I’d never encountered that version. (I guess there weren’t enough Republicans in the Carolinas in 1884 to get the meaning of the word changed, there. Ohio and Michigan are crawling with Republicans, of course, so the more recent meaning has become standard.) ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/18 "2003-05-26T22:03:49Z")
Richard Armour said mugwumps were fence sitters (the mug on one side of the fence, and the wump on the other). See _It All Started With Columbus_. Lots of fun. So, anyone find a draft document yet? Anyone? Buehler? ---
**Author:** ![fool4jesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5a626/32.png) [@fool4jesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fool4jesus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/19 "2003-05-27T20:48:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > **I have surfed the web for 2 months and found that he has NO military service whatsoever.** Some of you liberals hate conservatives way too much. Hope your 2 months was well-spent. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366/20 "2003-05-27T20:51:46Z")
Get out of here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-daniels-draft-deferment/177366.md?page=2)