I am about the same age as Cassius Clay ,,,, I got drafted and vacationed 13 months in S.E. Asia while he dodged and weaved his way into stardom . He is no hero to me . Sorry .
My last name is WEBSTER and it’s not too common a name by standards ,,, there are 20 Webster’s on the Vietnam wall including a trooper with my same first ,middle and last name from Ohio. They and 59k plus others are my heros .
For what it’s worth, I recall that Clay WAS called before the draft board and was judged unfit due to his being functionally illiterate. When he became known and started shooting off his mouth the draft board re-rated him Fit. It’s been a long time but that is the way I recall it.
Muhammad Ali’s complicated relationship with the Jews
Adopting Arab causes after his retirement from the ring, ‘The Greatest’ frequently clashed with the Jewish people, accusing ‘Zionists’ of world domination, even as some notable members of the U.S. Jewish community were his fervent admirers.
By Haaretz Jun 04, 2016
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/1.723042
His conversion to Islam in 1964 - accompanied by a name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali - and his subsequent sympathy for Arab causes made Jews a frequent target of his silver tongue, even as several Jews were among his long-time supporters and admirers. It made for a complex relationship between the boxer and world Jewry.
Not to me either. I have never been a fan of his.