Wow Ron Paul never served in our armed forces, how does he get away with that lie? /s
He was a flight surgeon in the Air Force so he did serve but not the way he wants to tell it.
Ron Paul supporters said that he did receive a draft notice for the Army and was given a choice of that or being commissioned into the Air force as a surgeon. Ok let's take this statement at face value.
What this really means is that Ron Paul in order to evade going into the Army, chose instead the Air Force.
Understand that during the period of the draft, the Air Force like the Coast Guard was considered a much softer and safer alternative to the Army.
More interestingly, in 1965 just as the Vietnam War was getting serious, Ron Paul left active duty and spent the rest of his career in the Air National Guard.
Then in 1968, when the Vietnam War was at its height, Ron Paul resigned his commission and left the service.
Looking at the above events, it could be argued that Ron Paul was actively trying to evade being sent to Vietnam.
He knew that being in the Air National Guard would protect him from going to Vietnam.
And when things started heating up and he could potentially be sent to Vietnam, he resigned.
So if Ron Paul is implying Gingrich was a coward by seeking a deferment, it can easily be implied that Paul was "gaming" the system to avoid being sent to Vietnam.
Yes he did. He performed surgery while flying in airplanes.