Vietnam War Draft evasion

a vietnam war era draft card. registration , retention of card legally required resisters destroyed them in public.

there opposition draft before major u.s. involvement in vietnam war. large cohort of baby boomers became eligible military service during vietnam war meant steep increase in number of exemptions , deferments, college , graduate students. va statistics show u.s. troops in vietnam represented broader cross section of america commonly believed , 25% of troops deployed combat zone draftees (compared 66% during world war ii). total of 8.615 million men served during vietnam era , of them 2.15 million served in combat zone. three-quarters of deployed working families , poor youths twice serve there more affluent cohorts although vast majority of them volunteers. draft eligible men publicly burned draft cards, illegal, justice department brought charges against 50, of whom 40 convicted.

as u.s. troop strength in vietnam increased, more young men sought avoid draft. enlisting in coast guard, though had more stringent standards enlistment, 1 alternative. 15,000 national guardsmen activated , sent vietnam. vocations ministry , rabbinate soared, because divinity students exempt draft. doctors , draft board members found being pressured relatives or family friends exempt potential draftees.

other means included finding, exaggerating, or causing physical , psychological reasons deferment, whether in temporary 1-y classification, or permanent 4-f deferment. physical reasons such high blood pressure man exempted. antiwar psychiatrists find dormant mental conditions serious enough warrant exemptions. draft counselors, , selective service system itself, emphasized there no such thing exemption draft, deferment . coveted status of 4-f (which late 1960s had lost shameful connotation) technically deferment, implying 4-fs might have serve if america invaded, home guard.

draft dodger rag , 1965 anti-war song phil ochs, circumvented laws against counseling evasion employing satire provide how-to list of available deferments: ruptured spleen, homosexuality, poor eyesight, flat feet, asthma, caregiver invalid relative, college enrollment, war industry worker, spinal injuries, epilepsy, flower , bug allergies, multiple drug addictions, , lack of physical fitness. folksinger arlo guthrie lampooned paradox of seeking deferment acting crazy in song alice s restaurant : said, wanna kill! kill! eat dead burnt bodies! , sergeant said, re our boy ! 1001 ways beat draft text on draft evasion late musician tuli kupferberg, member of fugs. methods espoused included arriving @ draft board in diapers or feigning homosexuality. text popular men subject draft 1950s cartoon novella jules feiffer, munro, in four-year-old boy drafted mistake. men, taking idea book, said might ask sergeant @ draft examination button me, mister.

the better educated , economically advantaged in better position obtain deferments through loopholes or technicalities. had greater access expert advice, counseling, psychiatric professionals , attorneys.

many lawyers worked during vietnam war pro bono draft counselors american friends service committee , other antiwar groups counsel men on options. aware laws, on books since world war i, forbade americans counsel draft evasion. therefore, afsc careful present potential inductee choices in neutral , factual terms.

during vietnam war, active movement of draft resistance occurred, spearheaded resistance organization, headed david harris. insignia of organization greek letter omega, Ω, symbol ohms—the unit of electrical resistance. members of resistance movement publicly burned draft cards or refused register draft. other members deposited cards boxes on selected dates , mailed them government. drafted, refused inducted, , fought cases in federal courts. these draft resisters hoped public civil disobedience bring war , draft end. many young men went federal prison part of movement.

in 1969, in response criticism of draft s inequities, u.s. government adopted lottery system determine called serve. @ same time implemented new standards restricted availability of deferments. ended graduate students , limited undergraduates.

conscription ended in 1973. end came after series of lawsuits challenged draft upon re-enactment , renewed conscription in 1972 without regard 90-day waiting period required in original korean war era draft law (section 20 of act) remained in 1972 act (which u.s. attorneys defending conscription argued result of legislative drafting error). series of challenges draft under section 20 in 1971 , 1972 lead justice william o. douglas issue injunction against induction covered states in jurisdiction of ninth circuit court of appeals. became difficult selective service system unwind mess section 20 cases caused (and draft men according priorities required law—the order of call named after order of call defense), draft quietly ended—just in time wind down of vietnam war.

among prominent political figures opponents have accused them of improperly avoiding vietnam-era draft george w. bush, dick cheney, , bill clinton.

emigration during vietnam war

during vietnam war, 30,000 of 210,000 americans accused of dodging draft left country. deserters , draft evaders combined went canada. though presence there controversial, canadian government chose welcome them. draft evasion not criminal offense under canadian law. issue of deserters more complex. desertion u.s. military not on list of crimes person extradited under extradition treaty between canada , u.s.; however, desertion crime in canada, , canadian military opposed condoning it. in end, canadian government maintained right prosecute these deserters, in practice left them alone , instructed border guards not ask questions relating issue. eventually, tens of thousands of deserters among found safe refuge in canada, in sweden, france, , united kingdom.

mark satin (left), director of toronto anti-draft programme, counseling american draft resisters, 1967

in canada, many american vietnam war evaders received pre-emigration counseling , post-emigration assistance locally based groups. typically these consisted of american emigrants , canadian supporters. largest montreal committee aid war objectors, toronto anti-draft programme, , vancouver committee aid american war objectors. journalists noted effectiveness. manual draft-age immigrants canada, published jointly toronto anti-draft programme , house of anansi press, sold 100,000 copies, , read on half of american vietnam war emigrants canada. in addition counseling groups (and @ least formally separate them) toronto-based political organization, union of american exiles, better known amex. sought speak american draft evaders , deserters in canada. example, lobbied , campaigned universal, unconditional amnesty, , hosted international conference in 1974 opposing short of that.

those went abroad faced imprisonment or forced military service if returned home. u.s. continued prosecute draft dodgers after end of vietnam war. in september 1974, president gerald r. ford offered amnesty program draft dodgers required them work in alternative service occupations periods of 6 24 months. in 1977, 1 day after inauguration, president jimmy carter fulfilled campaign promise offering pardons had evaded draft , requested one. antagonized critics on both sides, right complaining pardoned paid no penalty , left complaining requesting pardon required admission of crime.

some draft evaders returned u.s. canada after 1977 pardon, according sociologist john hagan, half of them stayed on. young , educated population expanded canada s arts , academic scenes, , helped push canadian politics further left. americans left canada , became prominent there include jay scott, william gibson, , michael hendricks. other draft evaders vietnam era remain in europe , asia.