Quick Heads Up: Did I Hear Right? Hackworth Called Cheney a Draft Dodger?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

My ears might have deceived me. Did I hear correctly on the Sean Hannity Show? Did Hackworth call Cheney a draft dodger?

[dcwusmc]

Please read the following and then you tell me:

However, you are using the term "draft dodger" and that term does NOT apply. I consider that term reserved for those who fled the country or undertook other means outside the law to avoid service.

So wealthy or politically connected guys who could get a doctor to give them a medical pass, or maybe an appointment to the Air National Guard are morally superior to guys who could at best afford to go to Canada, or simply hide out?
They were all trying to do the same thing--avoid risking their hides in Vietnam. I think you're drawing a false distinction. In fact, I give the rich guys lower grades--they wanted all the benefits of an affluent lifestyle, and then used those benefits to avoid their obligation. Pretty vile, IMHO.

180 posted on 12/05/2002 3:40 PM PST by What is the bottom line

[Thud]

Right, but Clinton had the graduate student deferment which hadn't been ended when he went to grad school in Britain on his Rhodes scholarship, though I think it had at some point when he was in law school at Yale, but that was after his game-playing. My recollection from when I looked at this during his first term as President was that the whole thing was aimed at his planned political career.

[jo6pac]

Assuming the above is accurate, I'm not sure how anyone could credibly accuse Cheney of "dodging the draft."

Maneuvering his way out of military service via student deferments until he was safely married and invulnerable to his country's call. Says Dick, ``I had other priorities in the '60s than military service. ... I don't regret the decisions I made. I complied fully with all the requirements of the statutes, registered with the draft when I turned 18. Had I been drafted, I would have been happy to serve.''..."

Who's he kiddin'?

[jwalsh07]

Cry me a river;

LOL, he failed his physical. End of story.

[HardStarboard]

>>>Did Cheney serve?<<<

Cheney has served his country in two wars GulfI and GulfII! He's serving now!

The man is an American patriot - whether he wore a uniform is not material. He has been an able leader of our men and women in uniform!

[Thud]

Hack was fine with his superiors until his tour as a battalion commander in Vietnam. Even then he was offered a chance to move into S.L.A. Marshall's chief Army historian position, because Marshall liked him so much, but turned it down because he was disgusted with the Army. He had a lot of personal problems then too, and it was a good thing for the Army and him that he left.

[cyncooper]

Correct me if I'm wrong,

You are not wrong.

[jwalsh07]

Who's he kiddin'?

Cheney is serving now in perhaps the second most stressful position in the world with a quintuple bypass. That tells me he's got balls and the one kiddin' must be you.

[k2blader]

Maneuvering his way out of military service via student deferments until he was safely married and invulnerable to his country's call.

Are you saying anyone who received deferments is a "draft dodger"?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

but...but...all those medals!

And Chief moose has a PhD....

I love these folks who rely on paper and tin to detect integrity.

[Republic of Texas]

In his role as a messenger for the grunts, he is great. At everything else he is kinda whacky.

[zook]

I don't think so. If Hackworth is still rational, and he said this, then it's tantamount to giving aid and comfort to the enemy and represents a severe stain on his record.

[laconic]

Oh, and doctors giving the "physical" to a sports moneymaker like "bad knees Namath" are not amenable to pressure or other enticements, are they? Case very much open.

[El Gato]

A volunteer army eventually becomes a mercenary army - which eventually leads to the collapse of the republic altogether.

Which is why the United States was supposed to have a small army and huge militia. Now we have a big (but hardly huge by world standards) army and a reserve force that is smaller than the active army, although not as much as was once the case. If we must have a draft, it should be into the reserve forces, which should be huge. The active forces should be staffed with volunteers out of the reserve forces. It works for the Swiss and the Israelies. The latter go one step farther and require all officers to first serve as enlisted members. The huge reserve would be more costly, but safer in terms of both national security and our freedoms.

[Thud]

That would do it. I guess my memory is faulty. I thought his grad student deferment protected him.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you don't understand what Hack's saying/his position. Please see my reply 166.

[cyncooper]

Oh, I'll ask you, too. Who got a fraudulent medical pass due to wealthy (and? or?) political connections that you think I, for one, support? Hmmmmmmm?

[El Gato]

Legitimate means of not serving include medical disqualifications, ROTC

ROTC, especially during wartime, is not a means of not serving, but rather of serving in a different capacity and at a later time.