# John Wayne's Lack of Militray Service (May 12, 2004) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 12, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-waynes-lack-of-militray-service-may-12-2004/244844 "2004-05-12T20:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **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 12, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-waynes-lack-of-militray-service-may-12-2004/244844/1 "2004-05-12T20:05:28Z")
Cecil’s May 12, 2004 column about John Wayne’s lack of military service, [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_364.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_364.html) certainly differs greatly from what Cecil previously posted: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_004.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_004.html) and here’s a thread I started regarding this subject: > **[John Wayne's draft deferment](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=182531)** > > I’m glad to see that Cecil published the truth about John Wayne’s draft status. For decades it was stated that John Wayne didn’t serve in the military because he 1) was 4-F due to a football injury 2) had an ear infection due to filming “Reap the... Among other things, I have _never_ seen any documented evidence that John Wayne “was rejected for military service”. I think it is funny that Cecil has changed his story. Please read the previous postings. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-waynes-lack-of-militray-service-may-12-2004/244844/2 "2004-05-12T20:22:30Z")
Thanks for posting this, **wolf\_meister**. I couldn’t remember where I had read about John Wayne choosing not to enlist (rather than being “rejected for military service” as that first column says.) I thought that it was at Snopes, but I couldn’t find it there–now it turns out that I read it here! It does look like Cecil wrote the second column as a response to the first–but he must have done some pretty sloppy research on the first column. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-waynes-lack-of-militray-service-may-12-2004/244844/3 "2004-05-12T20:35:05Z")
The repost of classic material gets another one. You have the order of those columns reversed **wolf\_meister**. The original column (Wayne rejected for service) is from March 9, 1973. The newer column gives the more complete story and is, in fact, in response to someone saying “in your book” which contained the original column. The “new” column is dated July 10, 1998. ---
**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 12, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-waynes-lack-of-militray-service-may-12-2004/244844/4 "2004-05-12T23:27:40Z")
Well son of a gun - I’m glad they revived the “smack the head” icon. :smack: Silly me. I figured if they reprinted a Straight Dope question and answer they would have posted the _revised_ one !!! Geez, why bother posting an outdated column? Just to say it is a “classic”? For a second (and this is blasphemy) I thought that the 5-12-2004 column was written by … a substitute Cecil, which would lend creedence to the “theory” that there may be no Cecil at all. What other “classic” am I to expect to see? **Don’t worry teeming millions, you can rest assured that the 8 track tape will be the preferred audio entertainment medium for the next 100 years.** **Tamex** I am glad that I helped you out. As a matter of fact, I once wrote to a conservative website that their explanation of John Wayne’s deferment was incorrect. Their reply? Their sourse was Ronald Reagan’s eulogy for “the Duke” in June of 1979. Well that would certainly be free of bias wouldn’t it? :rolleyes: I’m sure if a few years ago, Saddam Hussein hired someone to write an official biography, it would be forthright, truthful and historically accurate. :rolleyes: (Over 1,500 posts and that’s my first use of the “roll-eyes”)