Reply #27: "unfortunately too many weren't as lucky..." [View All]

[Left_Winger]

A very good friend of mine was the typical 18 year-old from NYC, the son of a police officer. When he reported to Whitehall Street (the induction center in NYC) in December 1965 all the guys got off his bus and then it departed; they all knew they were going to Vietnam. On the other hand, the busses which brought the boys from Long Island remained parked as many of them were being rejected (i.e. "flunking the physical") because they had relatives or connections which provided them with documented evidence that they had asthma or some other medical problem. They promptly re-boarded the busses and returned home.