I didn't want to totally hijack the Obama Photo Op Thread so I thought this topic was worthy of it's own thread and as El Rushbo would say, this is a teachable moment. I had to school myself last night to better understand the process.

There is a difference between a deferment and evasion. Simply put, one is a legal means of avoidance while the other is an illegal means of avoidance. It looks like one can still get drafted AND then get a deferment. Just because one received a deferment doesn't mean they never were drafted. And....just because one received (or was elgible for) a deferment doesn't mean they can't enlist anyway.

Evasion (often called dodging) is the illegal side of the argument. That could be falsifying med records, bailing to Canada, etc. My dad was an old school WWII Marine....I remember clearly back in the 1970's when then Prez Carter gave amnesty to all the draft evaders who fled to Canada during the VietNam War. Ol Pop's wasn't happy with Prez Carter.

The below site is an excellent one that explains all this and gives names of notables who got deferments and some famous evaders that were bought up on charges, like boxing great Muhammad Ali.

<http://www.nndb.com/event/806/000140386/>

So if you're like me, now you know the actual difference between a deferee (legal) and an evader (not legal).......

Well here's an uncomfortable, but related topic:
I'm just a year or two too young to have been drafted during the Vietnam era, but I've got two older brothers and they had friends and...

G.W. got bashed a bit for serving in the Texas Air National Guard instead of oh, say Active Duty Marines in the Vietnam era.. Both my older brothers were draft eligible during Vietnam, and both ended up serving in the Navy. I will admit that at 19 years on in 1977, the fear of the draft was still in the back of my mind, and I joined the CG, at least in part, to drastically reduce the odds of being drafted and having to tote a rifle through a rice paddy.

Herman Wouk was a WW-II Navy man that wrote a few WW-II historical novels, at least one of which 'The Caine Mutiny', had a young hero that went into the Navy for exactly that reason, to avoid being drafted into the Army.

I suspect that back in the day, avoiding the draft was a fairly common reason for joining the Coast Guard.

Anybody care to confirm or deny that?

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I suspect that back in the day, avoiding the draft was a fairly common reason for joining the Coast Guard.

Only if you believe this little ditty sung by the folks at Cape May back in the late 50s. As I recall, it went something like this:

'Semper Paratus is a laugh
We only dodge the draft
The only water that we see
Is when we take a bath'

I don't!

...gjd

I signed up in 1978, and it seems like back then some of the older guys would come out and tell you that's why they joined the Coast Guard. Even as late as 1978 it was fairly difficult to join the Coast Guard, long waits and such, which seemed to fade away as fears of the draft being reinstated also faded.

Welcome back gjd!

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G.W. got bashed a bit for serving in the Texas Air National Guard instead of oh, say Active Duty Marines in the Vietnam era..

No, GWB got bashed for not serving in the ANG. He got bashed for not showing up for drills, not showing up for a flight physical, and not showing up for a drug test.

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He got bashed for not showing up for drills, not showing up for a flight physical, and not showing up for a drug test

Ya, just like that forged memo Dan Rather produced says!

Oh look, geejaydee is back. I am sure he will be gone soon again. Did you enjoy for 30 day ban? Can't say I missed you.

Your only evading the draft when your are a republican. When you are a democrat you are patriotic.

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Oh look, geejaydee is back. I am sure he will be gone soon again. Did you enjoy for 30 day ban? Can't say I missed you.

With 13537 posts recorded, one is bound to be accused of a transgression every now and again. 30 days? I just moved to Facebook to wile away my time.

Thanks for the 'welcome back,' as it were.

...gjd

Four of my uncles joined the Coast Guard my dad joined the Coast Guard my late husband Floyd Stormer joined the Coast Guard he was CWO3 when he retired. All my uncles and my dad and Floyd lived on the great lakes of Michigan no one else would have them

I joined to avoid the draft! The draft of the door slamming in my a**! as my old man was taking me down to the recuriters office at age 17!

Seriously, wasn't draft eligible yet - so draft dodging or evading moot - although I suspect limiting my "run away from home" with Father's permission to the military being limited to Navy/Coast Guard recruiters (69) was probably, even if subliminally, influenced by Vietnam events showing grunts on the ground with rifles!

Welcome back George.
Best Wishes

The passing of time has made this an irrelavent topic.

Our current President had to register for the draft.

All others before him were draft "eligible".

There is no draft. And all males must register when they come of age.

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Originally posted by TVCJohn:
It looks like one can still get drafted AND then get a deferment.

No, it was the other way around. If you didn't have a deferment by the time your draft notice arrived, you were gone unless you flunked the physical. Everyone had a draft classification, and I can only remember a couple:
1A - prime candidate, watch for you notice in the mail.
1S - a qualified candidate, but also a student. The was the student deferment. The goal of millions was to get their 1S and stay in college long enough to outlast the draft.
4F - I think this was medically unfit.
Other classifications denoted married, kids, etc.
I was 1S, went 2 semesters, didn't like it so I enlisted in CG, but not to avoid the draft. I served with a lot of guys who were there because of the draft.

I remember a time around 1967 when the Coast Guard Reserve was a place of choice for those that had run out of options as far as the Draft was concerned. I don't mean this demeaning, its just the way it was. Mods delete if you feel the need...its ok with me..

I was on the Dexter, long before Vietnam. But there WAS a draft. In 62-64 many of the Reservists joined to get their military obligation out of the way. There really was no war at the time, they just preferred serving their time in the CG to other services.

Me? I knew I was joining the CG when I was in the 4th grade....just like my uncle (retired after 42 years) and my brother did.

I went in July of 64, I had never heard of Vietnam, I thought it was French Indochina. 1967 seemed to be a date when lots of college folks started showing up. That was a long time ago..........

I graduated HS in '77, and was going to DEP into the AF before the end of '76 to get the old GI Bill. My GF at the time talked me out of it.

I broke up with her just before starting college in the fall of '77, and ended up enlisting in the Army in May '78. I got over to West Germany just in time to prepare for deployment to Iran, but we were stood down and never went.

When I went to boot camp, I formed with about 80 others...I remember quite a few of them were reservist...Most of them didn't hide the fact that their college deferment was up and they had to join the military, so the Coast Guard reserve was their choice...I remember a couple of them even bragged about the fact they were going to avoid Viet Nam...

Just for the record, my lotto number was in the 300's and I was in no danger of being drafted...

I didn't join the Coast Guard with any grand ideas of saving lives and property, I joined because I was married with a kid and needed a job...Best move I ever made...I hope if I'm reincarnated, I do it all over again...

Gunk

I don't think there was much going on in '59 when I enlisted. It just seemed like a good idea at the time - and it worked out pretty well for me.

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Originally posted by geejaydee:

quote:

Oh look, geejaydee is back. I am sure he will be gone soon again. Did you enjoy for 30 day ban? Can't say I missed you.

With 13537 posts recorded, one is bound to be accused of a transgression every now and again. 30 days? I just moved to Facebook to wile away my time.

Thanks for the 'welcome back,' as it were.

...gjd

Well I'm glad your back, I often don't agree with you but at least your not a jerk when it comes to being a leftwing nutjob . If nothing else you at least provide a nice target for thhe rightwing nutjobs

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If nothing else you at least provide a nice target for thhe rightwing nutjobs

Yes, I was born to serve!

...gjd