Romney's Lack of Military Service Faces Scrutiny [AP Double-Standards and Amnesia ]

Military.com ^ | June 5, 2012 | Steve Peoples, AP

[QT3.14]

On a stage crowded with war heroes, Mitt Romney recently praised the sacrifice "of the great men and women of every generation who serve in our armed services."

It is a sacrifice the Republican presidential candidate did not make.

Though an early supporter of the Vietnam War, Romney avoided military service at the height of the fighting after high school by seeking and receiving four draft deferments, according to Selective Service records. They included college deferments and a 31-month stretch as a "minister of religion" in France, a classification for Mormon missionaries that the church at the time feared was being overused. The country was cutting troop levels by the time he became eligible for the draft, and his lottery number was not called.

President Barack Obama, Romney's opponent in this year's campaign, did not serve in the military either. The Democrat, 50, was a child during the Vietnam conflict and did not enlist when he was older.

[QT3.14]

However, see #8 as far as draft registration goes.

[Tublecane]

“Anybody getting a deferment for school is a disgrace during that time”

No, what’s a disgrace is that our country periodically conscripts people despite their being an explicit prohibition on involuntary servitude. As there’s no disgrace in not being in the military, there is no disgrace in not being forced to be in the military. Legally or illegally, in my opinion, but especially not legally.

[Tublecane]

“their” = there

[haircutter]

I doubt if B.Hussein O. ever sucked anyone ones ta-ta!!

and Bill Clinton was alive during Viet Nam era and HE did not serve...
maybe a good idea that to be commander-in-chief you must have served in the Military??

[2harddrive]

He CLAIMS he did, but the draft card exhibited has the wrong font for that form for that year, and the length of the field for the year of registration is incorrect. It is PROBABLY a semi-crude forgery. Sheriff Joe Arpaio ferretted it out!

[Tublecane]

“maybe a good idea that to be commander-in-chief you must have served in the Military??”

Maybe, since it can give you executive and leadership experience and teach you about the thing you’re potentially going to be Commander in chief of. But it’s not requisite, since we ahve a long tradition of civilian control of the military. Also, it the military is a monster, and some of the jobs aren’t anything different fundamentally from driving a forklift in the local factory or if you’re the son of a politician sitting for photo-ops and following big wigs around looking like you’re important.

[ansel12]

George W. Bush has a proud military record.

[ansel12]

The draft has nothing to do with military service, except to snag those who won’t enlist. A man who wants to serve his country just serves, he doesn’t wail that he wasn’t “drafted”.

A man who can physically enlist, and won’t, well, that’s not a good thing.

[ansel12]

Though an early supporter of the Vietnam War, Romney avoided military service at the height of the fighting after high school by seeking and receiving four draft deferments, according to Selective Service records. They included college deferments and a 31-month stretch as a "minister of religion" in France, a classification for Mormon missionaries that the church at the time feared was being overused.

Liberal Romney was demonstrating (photographed) for the pro-war side yet admits that he had no intention of enlisting or serving. George Romney ran as the republican anti-war presidential candidate in 1968 while Mitt was living in France.

This would not be a Romney thread without his mirror quotes included so here they are.

May 2, 1994. "I was not planning on signing up for the military. It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam"

2007 "I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam."

[Grut]

Well, speaking as someone who went and got shot at some, I’d say Romney showed better judgement than I did - considering how the military and political leadership pissed the whole thing away.

Or maybe he was just lucky, always a good trait in a president.

[ansel12]

Or maybe he was just lucky, always a good trait in a president.

Romney not serving the United States in the military is not "luck", no male in his direct line has ever served us in the military, ever.

The Romneys arrived here in 1842 to serve Joseph Smith personally since they arrived.

No war, no peace time, no draft, no wave of patriotism, has ever snagged one from his line, Romney is the second of his line to run for Commander in Chief of American Armed Forces during wartime, in a row.

This family won't do military service, but they do crave the presidency.

[Tublecane]

“The draft has nothing to do with military service, except to snag those who won’t enlist.”

That’s rather a lot to do with it.

“A man who wants to serve his country just serves, he doesn’t wail that he wasn’t ‘drafted’”

Yes, well, I haven’t heard Romney wail about anything of the sort. This is only an issue because he’s being accused of dodging.

“A man who can physically enlist, and won’t, well, that’s not a good thing.”

I’ve never gone through whatever process determines you to be physically fit, but generally I am. I never enlisted, though there was a massive attack on the homeland in my 19th year. There’s nothing whatsoever bad about not serving in the military. We are not Isreal, nor Sparta, nor Prussia. We can’t infer anything whatsoever about a man who declines to serve.

[Tublecane]

“Romney is the second of his line to run for Commander in Chief of American Armed Forces during wartime, in a row”

To be fair, it’s basically been “wartime” for 70 years.

[ansel12]

Which is it then? The Romneys refuse to serve no matter what, but they do want to rule.

[ansel12]

Men who won’t serve without a draft, are men who don’t want to serve their nation in uniform.

Romney now wails about serving he “longed” to serve, now.

Here is Romney complaining that he would have liked the easy way out, of being able to be in Vietnam, or at least the war time military, “There were surely times on my mission when I was having a particularly difficult time accomplishing very little when I would have longed for the chance to be serving in the military, but that was not to be.”

Since 9/11 (I assume that is what you meant) happened when you were 19 and you refused to enlist, it explains your posts, I suspicioned some form of deep guilt in them, it will only get worst for you as the years go by.

If I were you I would go immediately to a recruiter to see about the Guard or reserves, or active duty if you can afford the career interruption.

[Tublecane]

If Romney’s been saying such things then he’s wailing as you say and shouldn’t be listened to. I don’t know whether they’re in response to criticism about his deferments they’re at least understandable from a political perspective. But they are in poor taste.

[Tublecane]

“Men who won’t serve without a draft, are men who don’t want to serve their nation in uniform”

That’s right; I don’t. I assume I would want to in the case of genuine national security, e.g. if we were invaded. But that’s not been the case since 1812 at least.

“I suspicioned some form of deep guilt in them”

If I am guilty that’s some armchair psychoanalysis on your part. But I don’t think so.

If I can do a bit of my own anaylsis, from your association of manhood with service and your contempt for Romney’s family tradition of non-service I suspect you come from a military family. Just know that not all American families are like that. For instance my father was drafted into the army during Vietnam, though he didn’t see combat. I distinctly remember him telling me that’s not something he ever wanted for his sons, though he is no lib and doesn’t badmouth the military in general.

“If I were you I would go immediately to a recruiter to see about the Guard or reserves, or active duty if you can afford the career interruption.”

See, this is what I mean by us not being Sparta or Prussia. Why this notion that everyone who can should serve? Is it that I’m an ingrate, and that if I’m willing to live under the unbrella of freedom I should help carry the handle myself? Well, there’s an awful lot of us who thinks it’s muggy under the umbrella, and we wouldn’t have to worry about getting wet if we didn’t rush out of the warmth into the rainstorm for no good reason.

[Tublecane]

“Which is it then? The Romneys refuse to serve no matter what, but they do want to rule.”

My only point was that you specified that they’ve run for office during wartime, and it’s hard to set aside much time that wasn’t wartime since 1941.

[Tublecane]

“I distinctly remember him telling me that’s not something he ever wanted for his sons”

To be in the army, that is, not to be drafted.

[Tublecane]

“in the case of genuine national security”

National emergency, I mean, not security.