DRAFT DODGER DONALD
Read a detailed account of Trump's dodging here.
Some quotes from the article linked above:
"But in 1968, when he was a 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate, Trump was a tall, fit athlete who played football, tennis, and golf. His age and clean medical history qualified Trump as a perfect candidate for the draft to serve in the United States Army and fight in the Vietnam War, but he avoided combat after receiving a 1-Y medical deferment, which he has said was due to "bone spurs in his heels." "
Trump in Middle
As a draft dodger, Trump never knew the horrors of war, but in 1997, he laughed when telling radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was like his "personal Vietnam." "It is a dangerous world out there. It’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam era,” Trump said to Stern, discussing his sex life. "I feel like a great and very brave soldier.”
"Unlike the 2,709,918 soldiers who fought in Vietnam, Trump never served. He wasn't injured like the 304,000 Americans who fought in the war, or among the more than 58,000 killed in combat. Despite this inexperience, he is now in charge of the U.S. armed forces, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Corps as commander-in-chief. As president, he is tasked with dictating to all military generals and admirals which battles should be fought, where they should be fought, and who gets to fight in them on behalf of the United States."
Trump is just another in a very long list of "chicken hawks" - folks who talk the tough talk but did not walk the walk when it came to giving two years of their lives to the USA. To see a list of such pussies [not in the Trump sense of the word] visit here.
The most famous draft dodger at the time was actor George Hamilton. He dated President Lyndon Johnson's daughter, Linda Bird. Naturally, Hamilton got a deferment and never served. the reason being he was "sole support" of his mother. My mom couldn't stand him.
ReplyDeleteBB - I remember the Hamilton story now that you mention it. It's interesting that Obama never served, W finessed with a stint in the National Guard and defeated candidates who had served, slippery Bill of course dodged, and GHW was the last POTUS who was active duty.
ReplyDeletefunny, my dad thought he wouldn't have to serve since his 3 brothers all volunteered, leaving him as the sole remaining son at home, which he understood meant he couldn't be drafted, although, granted, he did have a dad, unlike my mom's brothers, but that was later; they may have been too young, although didn't a lot of them lie about their age to get to join? anyway, leaving my grandpa to run the farm by himself, something about his mules drug him into his pond while trying to let them drink or something, he got hurt real bad and ended up having to sell it, so...changed our whole family's life; shouldn't that count for something?
ReplyDeleteInteresting DP. I had a classmate that did two years of service, and then went to medical school. He found out that as an MD, he would be once again subject to the draft regardless of the fact that he already had done two years. Vietnam needed docs.
ReplyDeleteBack in he 60's, draftees actually had a six year obligation, two years served on active duty followed by four years of inactive reserve service, meaning they were technically on call, but weren't required to go to monthly meetings. Did not know of any inactive reservists ever recalled for active duty, however.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bizzy. I note that DDD went from 1Y to 4F when the 1Y classification was eliminated. 1Y was meant as fit only in times of war, and Vietnam never was declared a war.
ReplyDeleteThe words and deeds of the current POTUS have often pegged out my irony meter. A major cause has been Draft Dodger Donald [DDD] berating decorated veterans, denigrating Gold Star parents, engaging in politics regarding the deaths of service men, and vulgarly attacking those who choose to legally protest during the National Anthem, all the while portraying himself as the greatest patriot ever. However, those of us in DDD’s cohort believe that patriotism is not defined by words, but rather by actions. Like DDD, many of us were given a 2-S student deferment while in college, and upon graduation, were immediately classified 1-A, were drafted and served our two years. When DDD got his 1-A, the collegiate athlete got a 1-Y classification, presumably due to bone spurs. The 1-Y classification was “able to serve only in times of war” and Vietnam was not a war. 1-Y was discontinued by Congress, and virtually all became 4-F, physically unable to serve. Thus, we now have a belligerent, bellicose, bully Commander-in-Chief who, during the Vietnam conflict, was unwilling to give two years of his life to serve his country. Irony meter shattered.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that Trump proclaimed to Howard Stern that his "personal Vietnam" in those days was avoiding STD's.
ReplyDeleteA good way to avoid STD's is to avoid women who have been to bed with 100 guys.
ReplyDeleteYa, Rho - even one could do you in!! :-)
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