He still could have served. He chose not to. You can look it up.
And as for that perception of the difference between movies and reality, I can tell the difference. I'm not too sure about the John Wayne fans.
To return to these two items:
“Where do you get “the man was the epitome of hypocrisy: he played tough, brave men but it was a lie?””
I’m merely pointing out that the man presented his persona as a man’s man and I doubt that he ever took any pains to differentiate himself from that perception. I would bet that his fans probably had a hard time separating Wayne the actor from Wayne the man.
I would add that he seemed to enjoy playing the rough and ready cowboy, soldier, Marine, or airman, any tough guy role (probably because that was the extent of his acting talent). After all, he selected the roles he played in the movies.
“When did he ever lie or mis-represent his military service, a la Gore or Kerry?”
I don’t recall even bringing up this topic.