To be ruthlessly fair, I can. Early on, before the horror show got to rockin’, there was a wide variety of minor imperfections that would earn the prospective soldier a “1-Y” rating, down from “1-A”, meaning fit for service after all the really fit had been drawn down. In effect, it was as certain a deferment as a “4-F”. It also had the option of being contested, the prospective soldier might press to have his status upgraded to “1-A”, if he so chose. As you might well imagine, few did.
There was a very wide array of such imperfections, including Rush Limbaugh’s paranoid cysts, or, in my own case, the fact that I walked like a duck who’s feet had adopted entirely independent opinions.
So it is perfectly understandable that someone might not wish to reveal on what grounds his deferment had occurred.
Well, he’s a marathon runner, big and strapping dude, and slightly older than my husband (who enlisted at the behest of the judge who was going to toss him in the slammer if he didn’t sign up). He could have given me some kind of answer that would have protected his flag waver status and explained the conspicuous absence of his ass on the front lines. “I couldn’t pass the physical” would have been sufficient. Yeah, yeah, personal privacy…whatever. I tend to think it was a Section 8, myself.
My son’s father drew a “4” in the lottery (around 1971, I think) but was exempted when his second child was born. Go figure.
I’m sure I’m late to get into this, but I just wanted to say:
I’m thankful for those who are willing to do what I’m not: Teachers and soldiers, specifically come to mind, though I’m sure there are others. They both get sent into war zones and give their all to protect our future. Generally, work conditions suck and pay is worse, but most of them try to make the best of it. A few screw up, and give a bad image to the rest, but the majority are just doing a job I don’t want to do.
YMMV, but this is why I thank our troops and teachers, deployed or at home.
As it happens, I am vehemently against the war and have been since its beginnings. Neither am I an admirer of Mr. Bush and his cronies if that is what you meant.
Everyone talks about the Holocaust and the Nazi experiments and torture, but Japan was just as bad. Recently I saw a special on the History Channel about the building of the Bridge on the River Kwai…and they said the actual building of it was even worse than what was shown in the film. I’d say that WWII was one of the few wars were you had a near black and white dividing line between good and bad. (Note: I am NOT saying that the Japanese are bad as an entire people or culture! Just that the Japanese side in WWII, same as Italy and Germany, were just as bad) It’s pretty sickening to read about everything that went on.
