Frankly, I was scared shitless of being drafted and sent to that awful place (was 140 in my lottery and escaped).
Being a total idiot at that age, it wasn’t until years later that I came to realize what a horrible mistake our leaders had made and that realization has shaped my political thinking ever since.
It’s kind of a broken thread, but the poll is asking for votes from people who were drafted or enlisted for service in Vietnam. The OP even specifies an age restriction. It does NOT seem like the OP is asking, “Hey, what did you think about the Vietnam war? Were you or someone you know affected by it?”
To complain that the poll is “dismissive” is silly, and a bit insulting to the OP. Not every poll is for everyone. The comment section is for everyone, but not the poll. The poll, as I understand it, is aimed at people personally dealing with a specific, first-person, possibly life threatening, situation.
While women weren’t drafted, some enlisted for service. They wouldn’t at the time have been able to enlist for combat forces, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t wind up in life threatening situations.
None of which have ever been verified. It was a meme back then that gained unwarranted traction. I was never hassled or abused, just mostly ignored. My family was happy that I made it back, but never asked me any questions about it. My girlfriend, who had waited for me, called me a “flag waver” and drifted away (but only after I had spent all the money I had saved on her 
).
AIUI, because it wasn’t a “war” (as in declared - it may have been a bylaws issue (long since corrected)). I don’t know if there was a similar issue with Korea or not.
I remember hearing that, and it struck me as a red herring. Dying in a “police action” is just as much of a sacrifice as dying in a war.
I always suspected generational/cultural reasons. Many Vietnam vets grew their hair and smoked pot after they came home. Also, issues like PTSD and drug addiction were openly discussed by returning vets, which some WW2 vets considered insufficiently stoic.
I’ve never heard of similar issues with returning Korean War vets, but I’d welcome correction if there were.
Agreed, and I considered adding that to my post.
Yes - Korea wasn’t a declared war. I’ve often heard it formally referred to as the Korean “Conflict”. Vietnam always seems to be referred to as a “war” - again, undeclared. I rarely hear “conflict” or other terms for it.
Yeah. What she said.
I remember reading an article in '67 or '68 by Isidore Ziferstein called A Psychological Habituation to War, and I was anti-War since then.
There are different categories of conscientious objection. Some object to any service in support of the war effort, while others will serve in positions without bearing arms. Three conscientious objectors serving in the military received the Medal of Honor.
Yes, that’s how I explained it to students: 1-O, meaning no military service whatsoever and 1-1-A-O, meaning non-combatant status.
Two men I knew got CO status were Quakers. They were 1-A-O. One was a medic who often worked under fire; one was a chopper pilot who got shot in the arm.
It wasn’t easy to attain CO status, especially without a religious affiliation. I knew a guy who sought CO status and didn’t get it. He said they asked him if he walked in to find his mother getting murdered, and the only way to save her would be to attack her attacker, what would he do? I don’t recall his answer, but obviously, it wasn’t sufficient. He got drafted. I heard he later got a Section 8.
I attribute this to Senator Eugene McCarthy, who did well in NH, who ran entirely on an anti-war platform.