When the number thing came up, those who got a number that would mean a draft did all sorts of things to avoid it. A friend's boyfriend avoided the certainty of VietNam by his father's connections being used to get him a CoastGuard slot. The connections? His father was an Army recruiter!!
Another way to avoid the certainty of ground battle was to join the Navy. There were greater odds of avoiding direct shooting.
The very rich and the very bright got exemptions for graduate school. Those who could stand it and could do some Math and/or Science got exemptions to teach those subjects. Those who felt strongly enough risked their citizenship and abiltiy to return by leaving the US. The truly sleazy got bogus physical deferrments and then got into everyone's face with it by spending the war skiing in Aspen.
Another way to put off immediate time in the war was to join the National Guard or Reserves. Those slots were hard to come by, since they were in fact used as a delay tactic by many. Many opted for pilot training when they did that.
I knew two guys who signed up for ROTC for the pilot program...they knew there was a risk but they wanted to be pilots. They both ended up in the shooting war.
Senator Kerry didn't have to join; he's older than the draft system. It was a choice. He's at his best when they surround him with those he served with.
My questions with the GWB service thing are (1) did the two units he was assigned to fight in Viet Nam and (2)how common was it for those who got full pilot training to get out for grad school without the military first having them do some wartime?
I don't like this issue. World War II veterans got education, houses, and a lot of job opportunities when they returned. Since then, veterans haven't gotten their due. "Homeless veteran" should be an oxymoron. They are the ones who should be given houses, instead of subsidizing immigrants.
It's hard to convey real concern for today's veterans while dissing veterans of the past. It succeeded with McCain and that amputee Senator from the South. It's probably not a good idea to use that tactic a third time, especially since we're in a shooting war.