Do you have a plan to help your child avoid the draft?

yes, my father was gay, but did not know realize that until long after he was drafted at age 19. He got 4F because he had ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) but didn't know that at the time, didn't yet have any obvious symptoms of it, either. He found out he had ALS at the Army physical. They were very thorough with screening men who were drafted into the "war" in VietNam. I know or have known many men his age who got 4F. Most of them have some sort of auto-immune disorder that was not diagnosed prior to the Army physical. Now most of them who went over there have auto-immune disorders from exposure to dioxin (agent orange). go figure.

My father's younger brother got out of the draft because he was a farmer, their father was dead, and there was nobody else to take care of the family farm. My Mom's brothers enlisted in the Navy instead of waiting to be drafted, and managed to not go to VietNam somehow.

 

Yeah, you have to be in perfect health to go to another country and get shot. My dad was a prisoner of war in Japan for three and a half years. My older brother got shot in Viet Nam. My little brother spent 20 years in the army, mostly in Korea. And I'm a member of the War Resisiters League. Gee, wonder why I'm the black sheep of the family?

Kathi

 

My son desperately WANTS to join the military when he turns 18. Both of my parents are Vietnam Vets, so I was raised with a great level of respect for the miltary. Still, my veints turn to ice freezes every time I think of my baby playing target for some upset religious fanatic in a far-off country. I feel like such a hypocrite, but I have been praying for years now that with all of his heath issues he will not be allowed to join.

But... it's not my choice to make, it's his. And I would much rather see someone like my son who genuinely WANTS to serve his country do so than someone who feels that they were forced into it. He feels very strongly about this too, so I will support his decision. That I know, he does not know how strongly I feel against it. And unless he changes his mind, I don't intend to tell him. To date, I think this is the hardest thing I've done as a parent... and he's only 10!
love,
mom

 

I'm with ya on that sister!