[daisyscarlett]

Exactly and I might add, in many cases, the potential draftee was not even involved in the shenanigans...mostly the Dads gave them a wink and a nod and said "Don't worry son, I will handle it". Many draft dodgers grew up to contribute greatly to Society and more than just a few are ashamed that they did not answer the call to serve their country.

And being in harm's way for four months certainly does not automatically qualify one for the Presidency. Shoot, I have a relative who served four years in Viet Nam-shooting and getting shot at-and I do not even trust him to vote correctly (he backed Perot in '92) though I will say, he hates Kerry and definitely will not vote for him. In fact, Kerry is the cause of him having nightmares about the War all over again.

[mountaineer]

I've heard that G.W. Bush twice requested to be sent to Vietnam while with the Air National Guard. I don't know what else that freakin' idiot Kerry wants. Maybe Dubya should have chartered a plane and had himself flown to Saigon on his own dime.

This is ridiculous. My father and all my uncles of his generation served in some fashion in WWII - my father in the South Pacific with the Navy, my uncle Frank in North Africa with the Army Air Corps, uncle Doug somewhere in the Army (don't know where) and my uncle Carroll stateside with the Navy. My father-in-law spent the entire war stateside, training Air Corps pilots in Texas. Apparently, Kerry thinks stateside service isn't worthy of respect. That really, really offends me.