We have two fresh conscription threads in IMHO. Are there any dopers who were living in a time/place where they were subject to military service, called up, and got out of it (legally or illegaly) or at least tried to? I assume that most American men who came of age between 1941 and 1973 probally have some kind of experiances with the draft. Foreigners too. And Israeli, British, and Soviet women.
My father was drafted in '65, but when his wife recieved the letter from the draft board he was already stationed on a Navy ship halfway to Japan. My paternal grandfather wasn’t drafted during WWII because he was the only son a farmer and his sister was in the Medical Corps. One of my uncles on my mother’s side got a draft notice during Vietnam, but a few days later he “accidentally” fell off their roof and broke his femur bone. Even after he recovered they didn’t bother him.
I didn’t dodge per se, but I was of draft age during the Vietnam era, with a fairly low lottery number. However, I was in college until '74, so had a student deferrment.
One term, the college failed to put in the paperwork and I was classified 1-A (which meant you were draftable). I contacted them as soon as I knew and went back to being II-S (student deferrment). By the time I graduated, they were no longer drafting anyone.
My father was too young to be drafted in WWII, and when Korea broke out he was married. I was born in 1952, which removed him from the draft rolls.
My grandfather may have been eligible for the draft in WWI, but he didn’t serve.
*When you became draft age, there was a lottery by birthdate to determine who was called first. My number was 86, which meant I would probably be called.
I dodged any chance of being drafted by joining the army in 89. I am currently dodging it by staying in the national guard.
No one in my family has been drafted. My father tried to get into WWII but was in boot camp when it ended. All my uncles that were old enough joined on their own. My grandfather was too old for WWI (no I don’t mean great grandfather. That surprises people since I am not that old. He started his family late. He was born in 1885). All of my immediate family was either too old or too young for Viet Nam. Well two uncles were career military at the time, one was Air Force and didn’t get closer than Thailand and the other retired from the Army before they could send him. He thought two wars were enough for him.
What I find amusing is that even though I joined the military, the government still thinks it’s important that I have a selective service number. It was required on my latest security clearence form.
I got drafted in about 1961 0r 2. It was a peace time then and I got one y’for having a punctured eardrum. During Nam I got an occasional letter informing me they may wish to re physical me,but they never did. It was a bad luck when I got pulled in but the one a as never revisited. I was a competitive weight lifter and in otherwise great shape. It was bad luck because at that time it was rare to get the call.
I know a couple guys who dropped out of high school in 68 and 69, so they weren’t on the dean’s list of graduates to get sent off to the draft board. One went ahead and registered anyway, lived in fear and didn’t get drafted. The other didn’t register, lived in fear, and also didn’t get drafted.
Then in '80, Carter made me register for the draft, so I voted for Reagan.
I also had a low number during Vietnam, but was happily still in school when Tricky Dicky (bless his heart) ended it. My father did get drafted in WW II. My grandfather didn’t in WW I because he was a plumber doing work on army bases in Georgia (having the singularly unfortunate last name of Sherman.)
My father-in-law was trying to get a teaching job, which no one wanted to give him because they were afraid he might get drafted. He had poor eyesight, so he went to his draft board and requested a physical. The doctor wrote that under no circumstances should he serve. This was about December 1, 1941. This kept him out - no one wanted to go against such direct instructions. One week later and his eyesight would have improved for sure.
My Aunt Sharon (born in 1948) had a friend named Mark who had no desire to serve. His strategy for ducking induction was to eat as many hoagie sandwiches as possible so that he would be overweight whenever he was called (and he was called often) by the draft board to take a physical. Fortunately for him, the Selective Service Systemdidn’t have the authority to keep his food intake down to a “healthy” level by holding him in custody.
One of our family stories is the draft dodger my father harboured in Hamilton (or was it Toronto?). At one point, said dodger’s brother came to Canada, kidnapped him, and dragged him back to the US, where he was apparently drafted, his mode of return never being questioned.
In his autobio “Still Hungry After All These Years,” Richard Simmons tells of getting his draft notice after going to college in Italy and losing all his weight. After he made a big deal about getting a hanger for his full length, $300 Italian suede coat, he claims he was exempted from the draft because of his “flat feet.” :rolleyes:
One was a cousin of mine, originally from Canada. He was living and working down in the US at the time of the Vietnam War, and received the draft papers telling him when and where to report. He decided living and working back home in Canada was probably a good idea at that point, and he got back here. Pretty quickly, I understand.
The other was a gentleman I met through some work I did for a community organization some years ago. He was originally from New York City. Same kind of story though: during the Vietnam War, he got the papers telling him when and where to report, decided Canada was a better bet, and left the US. He said it was one of the best decisions he ever made in his life.
Seriously, though, my uncle was once offered a chance to sit out the Vietnam War with relatives in Canada. My mother never understood why my uncle didn’t leap at the offer.
According to Wikipedia (Draft evasion - Wikipedia), about 100,000 American war resistors fled to Canada during the Vietnam period. About half of them ended up staying there permanently and becoming Canadian citizens, even after President Carter issued an amnesty.
I don’t get that. Only US citizens can be drafted. Was your cousin a Canadian or American. Resident aliens can join but are not drafted. US citizens abroad can be drafted but of course it would be difficult to make them comply.
