Was my father a WWII draft dodger?

[madfloridian]

He went to Camp Blanding, near Jacksonville I believe. He did not pass the physical. He did not want to go to war, and he was relieved. He did not say so, but my mom said he was.

Does that make him a draft dodger? Especially since he went on to lead a fairly normal active life?

Does it?

[hlthe2b]

1. No, it means he didn't pass the physical and wasn't deem

appropriate for active military service. It must have been hard on him then, though. A very different time, when a lot of guilt was placed on those who didn't/couldn't serve.

[Skittles]

2. yup

that's how I would read it too.

[argyl]

3. Your dad didn't dodge the draft;the draft passed on him.

xx

[Hep]

4. He should be ashamed of himself

No way he could ever run for president with that kind of military record.

[JohnKleeb]

5. Nope

and I know what you're asking this in response to and he's not one either, if he had supported that war, then I may have it out for him.

[RetroLounge]

6. Lets hope he never went skiing or runs for president

or the Insane Anti-Dean Posse (tm) that loves to bash will call him a draft dodger.

of course, the Dean Bashers that are here saying and posting that he dodged the draft, are not exactly in uniform now, are they?

So no, your dad reported, and was turned down. No shame in that.

[SEAburb]

7. how many reactionary DDF threads have

to be started on this subject. You Deanies are embarrassing yourselves. This is a non-issue, Dean already has this issue covered. You aren't helping Dean by keeping this issue alive. Let it die.

[madfloridian]

8. We Deanies did not start this.

It was started last night with threads all over the board. No one stopped them, none were locked or deleted.

It went on and on and on. We did not start it. I don't know what else to do to stop it.

If Dean is a draft dodger, then so was my father.

[leanings]

9. My father got out of the Vietnam draft

because of football injuries to his knees and ankles. He went on to work as a stone mason. The military physical is pretty comprehensive; just because you don't pass doesn't mean you're physically disabled. I know, I've taken it.

[Dems Will Win]

10. Draft Dodger meant someone who went to Canada in my day

Draft Resisters went to prison

and 1-Y, 2-S and 4-F were Draft Deferrments!

I myself got a CO in the Vietnam days.

[sandnsea]

11. Did he get his own medical reports?

And take them to the draft board well in advance of being called up to make absolutely certain the routine Army physical wouldn't miss his condition? And then try to pretend it was just a routine Army physical that got him out?

I don't care who did and didn't go to Vietnam or why. But when someone tries very hard to get out of service and then pretends they were willing to go, that's wrong. I don't hear you saying that's what your dad did. It's most certainly what Howard Dean did.

[madfloridian]

12. Actually I think he did have medical records with him.

I remember them talking about the condition. My brother, a former Naval commander and patriot, says he went with records with him. I do not remember myself.

I think Dean is right to say he did not want to go to Vietnam. I would be suspicious if he said otherwise.

Now please don't say I blindly follow. I do not.

[sandnsea]

13. "I didn't try to get out of the draft,"

"I didn't try to get out of the draft," Dean has said. "I had a physical."

He did try to get out of the draft. He didn't just show up and have a physical. He intentionally went ahead of being called with a doctor's report to get him out.

http://www.vietnamwar.com/HowardDeandraftdeferment.htm

[madfloridian]

14. My brother says my dad did that.

He is deceased, so I can't ask him. He was a patriot, but he had health problems. If you think Dean is a draft dodger, then apparently my father was.

[retyred]

15. Did he

bring in a note from his own highly paid doctor along with x-rays that had his name on them from this highly paid doctor that said he couldn't go in the army but could go downhill sking right after being told he didn't have to play army if he didn't want to? If the answer is yes....then "NO" of course he didn't dodge the draft.

While to some, doing all this while admitting not wanting to go in the Army anyways might seem to be "Creative Draft Dodging" trust me it's not.


retyred in fla
“good night paul, wherever you are”
read the book

[madfloridian]

16. Well, he went to good doctors. Is that what you meant?

Not creative, or not draft dodging?

[Muddleoftheroad]

17. No more than Superman

Superman failed his physical in WWII and couldn't serve. (OK, it's trivia, so sue me.) He got excited and accidentally used his X-ray vision to read the eye chart in the next room.

If you fail a test THEY give you and they don't want you, you didn't dodge anything.

[Bucky]

18. Superman "got excited"? I don't think so...

Are you telling me Superman couldn't have passed an army physical if he'd wanted to? That's pure BS. Superman dodged the draft and now he wraps himself in the flag and prattles on about truth, justice, and the American way. Where the hell were you in '42, Kent, you lying sack of shit.

Clark Kent is the epitome of liberal media bias; that is, totally fictional.