re: The real reason Muhammad Ali refused the draft

quote:

---

wouldn't have avoided the draft at the time, but knowing what we now know, I certainly would. Anyone that wouldn't is a moron.

---

This. I have 3 family members who served and dodged and got "lucky".

1. Dad. He "dodged" by staying in drafting school for an extra year despite knowing he had zero interest in drafting anymore. He gave up despite the teacher saying "just sign up, you don't have to do shite". He entered the draft and got snapped up. Fortunately, I guess, by then they needed a shite load of corpsman in a hospital in Japan. Dad got fat and learned to smoke and drink sake'.

2. Grandpa. He went for WW2. During basic training he got a fricking ingrown toenail. Between marching and boots his toe got nasty. The army doc who extracted the toenail fricked it up so bad he got a medical discharge. He was headed to the pacific. Made it to somewhere in California and sent back with his toe that was NASTY until the day he died.

3. Uncle on Moms side. He was an MP in San Antonio during Vietnam. He and his MP partner worked for over 6 months. Helped out the right sergeant who was an alcoholic that they helped get home after MANY nights shitfaced. DUI wasn't a thing then. Anyway this guy was in personnel or whatever the term is for the guy who processed guys to go to Vietnam back then. He asks my uncle and his friend one night when they are all off duty and drinking, "it's getting time. Do you guys want to go?" This was probably 68 so it was already shitty and anti war sentiment was in swing. My uncle and his friend say "hell no!" Papers go back to the bottom of the pile. Was long enough to keep them in San Antonio until their time was up.

So much dumb luck involved in me and my cousins being on the planet.