Liberal actor and comedian Chevy Chase also misled his draft board. In 1989, approximately two decades after the fact, Chase revealed on a television talk show that he avoided the Vietnam War by making several false claims to his draft board, including that he harbored homosexual tendencies.

How many people dodged the draft during Vietnam?

Around 15 million were granted deferments, mostly for education and some for mental or physical problems. There were more than 300,000 draft evaders in total, of which 209,517 men illegally resisted the draft while some 100,000 deserted. Among them, around 30,000 emigrated to Canada during 1966-72.

Who was exempt from the Vietnam draft?

The various exemptions which draft-eligible men could use to avoid service, such as still being in university education or being medically unfit, were thought to allow better-connected and middle class men to evade the draft more easily than working class or minority men.

How did people avoid being drafted to Vietnam?

Millions of young men tried to evade the draft: some fled to Canada; many feigned physical or mental illness, others used family connections to gain safe positions in the National Guard.

Were college students drafted in Vietnam?

College students got a deferment , from the draft during the Vietnam War. This was only valid if they were full time college students. If you failed or dropped out you could get drafted .

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How many years did you have to serve if you were drafted in Vietnam?

During the Vietnam War, the escalating demands for troops forced the United States to use conscription. Only 20-25% of draftees served in Vietnam. The rest were either stationed stateside or sent to Europe to free up volunteer soldiers to serve in Vietnam. Conscription was for 2 years.

Why were college students not drafted in Vietnam?

Before Congress reformed the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress in virtually any field of study. He could continue to go to school and be deferred from service until he was too old to be drafted.

What celebrities dodged the Vietnam draft?

American draft evaders who left for Canada and became prominent there include politician Jim Green, gay rights advocate Michael Hendricks, attorney Jeffry House, author Keith Maillard, playwright John Murrell, television personality Eric Nagler, film critic Jay Scott, and musician Jesse Winchester.

What were the chances of being drafted in Vietnam?

Myth: Common belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.

What birthdays were drafted in Vietnam?

On December 1, 1969, the Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War in the year 1970, for men born from January 1, 1944, to December 31, 1950.

Can females get drafted in the US?

As of January 2016, there has been no decision to require females to register with Selective Service, or be subject to a future military draft. Selective Service continues to register only men, ages 18 through 25. Prior to this latest update, Defense Secretary Leon E.

How did John Wayne get out of ww2?

Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status (classified as 3-A – family deferment). Wayne repeatedly wrote to John Ford saying he wanted to enlist, on one occasion inquiring whether he could get into Ford's military unit.

Who Cannot be drafted?

Did Donald Trump ever serve in the military?

His election and policies sparked numerous protests. He was the first U.S. president with no prior military or government experience. The 2017–2019 special counsel investigation established that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to favor Trump's campaign.

Who armed the Viet Cong?

The overwhelming majority of the Viet Cong were subsequently recruited in the South, but they received weapons, guidance, and reinforcements from North Vietnamese Army soldiers who had infiltrated into South Vietnam.

Did most draftees go to Vietnam?

An article written by a draftee, Ron Schroeder, in a recent edition of “The VVA Veteran” magazine tells us, “1.8 million men were drafted, 648,500 served in Vietnam.” It goes on to say, “Of the more than 58,000 American deaths in the war, just over 30 percent (17,571) were draftees.”

What unit saw the most combat in Vietnam?

3rd Battalion spent over 1,600 days in Vietnam and conducted 48 combat operations, the most of any Marine battalion in the conflict.

What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat?

Most Vietnam Veterans Saw Combat. Actually, the opposite is true; only a relatively small percentage were ever involved in combat. In fact, it is likely less than 30% of all who served there ever saw combat of any sort during their war.

Why did Bruce Springsteen not serve in Vietnam?

Upon being drafted when he was 19, Springsteen failed the physical examination and avoided service in the Vietnam War because the concussion he had suffered in a motorcycle accident two years prior (and his behavior at induction) reportedly made him unacceptable for service.

Why did John Wayne never serve in the military?

In 1941, when the United States entered the war, Wayne was already 34 years old, which was above the age limit for the draft. However, he expressed his desire to serve his country and tried to enlist in the military, but was rejected due to a football injury he had sustained earlier in his life.

Did any NFL players get drafted to Vietnam?

The two NFL players drafted into the military in 1966 were St. Louis Cardinals rookie quarterback Gary Snook and second-year New York Giants halfback Smith Reed. Neither played in the NFL again. Only six active NFL players served in Vietnam.

Who refused the Vietnam draft?

June 20, 1967: Muhammad Ali Convicted for Refusing the Vietnam Draft. In an era defined by endless war, we should recognize a day in history that won't be celebrated on Capitol Hill or in the White House. On June 20, 1967, the great Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston for refusing induction in the U.S. armed forces.

Why was the Vietnam draft wrong?

The Selective Service System during the Vietnam war was highly controversial, especially because early in the war draftees came disproportionately from poor, working-class, rural, and minority populations.

Who would go if there was a draft today?

According to the selective service, if a draft were held today, those who are 20 years old -- or turning 20 during the year in which the numbers are drawn -- would be the first to go.