Reply #14: period between involuntary draft and lottery draft [View All]

[msedano]

In 1968, the involuntary draft ended. The lottery draft would begin in 1969. In the meantime it was open season on formerly deferred draft-age males. That's when I got drafted, out of graduate school. Ditto a friend of mine also in graduate school. We were both registered Democratic Party. Not drafted that period was a Republican party friend, who happened to hold a high position in the student GOP apparatus. Odd, we thought. My drafted friend went to Vietnam and came out alive. I went to Korea and came out just fine. Our Republican pal continued in Grad school and got his Ph.D. without a hitch.

I'm damned if I wanted to go into the Army, but, as the old song goes, "my uncle Sam he said 'here I am'" so I put on the uniform and served honorably. No shame in accepting deferrments. No shame in joining the Reserves as a dodge. Claiming greater service than actually engaged borders on stolen valor. And that's exactly what that pendejo Richard Blumenthal has done. Claimed for himself greater involvement than he earned. He also earns the shame and scorn of voters in his state. And a vote for someone else or "none of the above."