[ClearCase_guy]

At this point, John Kerry would say: "How dare you question my patriotism!?"

[aragona]

I saw it reported recently that Kerry actually first tried to get a deferment or out the draft altogether but failed. His next plan was to go for as short a time as possible - successfully achieved in 4 months.

I will google around and try to find that report. If anyone knows the facts please post them.

--aragona

[silverleaf]

Has anyone yet figured out where John Edwards spent the Vietnam war years?

No- despite the baby face, he was NOT in grammar school.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

Do anything beside lies come out of sKerry's mouth?

[Red Badger]

I am too young (49) to have been worried about going to Vietnam when I was 18, so I don't know a lot about the deferment process in the 60's. But were they not legal? If one got a deferment, was it not the government that gave it to you? If the VP got a deferment, then ipso facto it was the same govt that drafted that gave it out, no? And, if the Vietnam war was considered a bad war by the Left, then he should be praised by them for not going to fight it, no?.......

[wideawake]

Cheney really slacked off by not volunteering.

Of course, John Edwards was 18 years old in 1971 and unmarried - the exact profile of the type of guy the Army was looking for - but it was OK for him to get a college deferment. Little Johnny didn't volunteer, but it was A-OK.

[xzins]

Is that what they mean by 6 deferments (or 5..or whatever?)

That's immoral.

I thought it meant he'd received a draft notice 5 or 6 times and come up a valid excuse each time. I was prepared to bite my tongue and accept that.

BUT...

This means he didn't have any deferments.

Does anyone know if he EVER received a draft notice?

[NEBO]

In the United States, military conscription, or the draft, had been in place virtually without interruption since the end of World War II, but volunteers generally predominated in combat units. When the first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam in 1965 they were composed mainly of volunteers.

The Air Force, Navy, and Marines were volunteer units. The escalating war, however, required more draftees. In 1965 about 20,000 men per month were inducted into the military, most into the Army; by 1968 about 40,000 young men were drafted each month to meet increased troop levels ordered for Vietnam.

The conscript army was largely composed of teenagers; the average age of a U.S. soldier in Vietnam was 19, younger than in World War II (ave. age WWII - 26) or the Korean War. For the first time in U.S. military history, tours of duty were fixed in length, usually for a period of 12 or 13 months, and an individual’s date of estimated return from overseas (DEROS) was therefore set at the same time as the assignment date.

[kinsman redeemer]

I HATE this crap from a man who would be President.

[nuconvert]

BumP

And let's clear up this misstatement about Kerry volunteering to go to Vietnam. As I understand it, he volunteered for the Navy. He got sent to Vietnam. Bush volunteered for the National Guard, and could very well have been sent to Vietnam. Lots of National Guard were sent to Vietnam. It was NO guarantee of avoiding the war.
Not like he ran off to Oxford, or anything......

[Salvation]

Mitch McConnell on Fox and Friends this morning:

"Why are they continuing to focus on 35 years ago?" (paraphrasing)

[FairWitness]

Thanks for taking the time to illuminate this "sound bite" that is being used against Mr. Cheney. I'm the same age as the VP and, while he and I both could have volunteered for Vietnam, we were a bit "over the hill" by that time. The Cuban missile crisis (Oct. 1962, when he and I were already 21), if it had turned into a war, is the event that would probably have gotten both of us into service. Age matters: Cheney (b. 1/30/41) is almost three years older than Kerry (b. 12/11/43), who in turn is 2 years and 8 months older than President Bush (b. 7/6/46). Those age differences make a tremendous difference in how their records should be viewed.

[ThomasMore]

Excellant post!

BUMP!

[bigbob]

I'll bet Dick Cheney's got two words for John Kerry, and they ain't "Merry Christmas"

[Mister Baredog]

Gee didn't Cheney also serve his country as WH Chief of staff, a congressman, and Sec of Defense. The last time I looked these roles are called public service too.

BTW Cheney being VP, shouldn't Flippy be comparing his record to John-boy Jr's(Edwards) record?

[stevem]

Didn't I read somewhere that Cheney led the military as Secretary of Defense from 1988 to 1992? Didn't I read somewhere that during this watch the US became embroiled in a shooting war? If that's all true, then didn't Cheney serve the US in a military capacity (though not in uniform) for approximately four years?

If all that is so, I wonder who had a greater influence on military policy during his time in that spotlight, Cheney or Kerry. I wonder who said more things in support of the troops in his life, Cheney or Kerry.

[5by5]

Kerry is desperate to scare the Republican away from the National Defense issue.

Kerry vs. Cheney is a dream matchup for the GOP. Attacking the #2 doesn't help Kerry look presedential and every moment spent on Vietnam is moment lost to the Kerry campaign. Plus it invites more attention from SBV4T.

If this is all Kerry can do, then BC04 just needs to run out the clock.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you for posting this discussion. Now I know that according to John Kerry, I am a draft-dodger. I got my draft notice in late 1964. (There was no lottery then. You just received your notice and that was that.)

At that time, the Draft Boards did not take men who were married, and had a child. I was married, and my first child was due to be born in about two months. According to the form that came with my Draft Notice, if I supplied a copy of my marriage license and a letter from my wife's obstetrician, I would not be taken in the draft.

So, I filled out the form, including telling my Draft Board my new address in California. They did not take me. I had not known until this very moment that, according to John Kerry, I am a draft dodger.

I had one other chance to go to Vietnam. I was fluent in French, and had taken a minor in Southeast Asian politics. The US Information Agency offered me a civilian position in Saigon. It seemed a little less desirable to be in Vietnam without a weapon, than to bed there fully armed. So I declined that job offer. I suppose in Kerry-ese, that makes be a draft-dodger squared?

John Kerry was a putz when I met him in 1963. He is still a putz, today. I am gratified that his campaign is going straight down the porcelain facility.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "I'm Mad as Zell, and I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore."

If you haven't already joined the anti-CFR effort, please click here.

[JLS]

Hannity should do better. There was a draft from the end of WWII straight through the end of the draft lottery stage. That Dick Chenney got automatic student deferments ala John Kerry means nothing. And yes since Kerry completed college before going to the military he too had a draft deferment.

[GovernmentShrinker]

How old was Cheney when he had his first heart attack? I really don't think he was ever combat material.