Biden: Draft dodger?

8/24/08 | self

[jokyfo]

Anyone know how Biden got out of the draft during the Vietnam War?

[Radix]

For what it is worth, the Draft ended before I was eligible.

However, at the time, if it were still in effect, I would have avoided it. Shamelessly.

However, I enlisted into the Army. That is how it should be.

(Robert Heinlein and I (and others) agree that citizenship should come with a price.

I really have no problem with people who evaded the Draft back in the 1960s-70s, because that is where we all (in my neck of the woods anyhow) were in our collective mindsets.

I do agree that things have changed concerning attitudes, and I think that there are likely some who now regret their lack of Military Service.

Of course there certainly is no shortage of hypocrites out there when it comes to politicians with no Military Service.

Concerning Obama & Biden, in my opinion......they both suck, regardless of their lack of Military Service.

[claymax]

He wore womens panties to his physical? I am kinda of curious how “hairclub for men” Biden got out of it!

[Freee-dame]

His son Beau is slated for deployment to Iraq this fall with a Nat’l Guard unit I believe.

His son is a lawyer with the JAG corps. I have really mixed feelings about their whole part in the war effort. What we read about is their interference in soldier's doing the fighting. They are not out in combat zones, IIRC.

Biden's son's service will be billed as the equivalent of McCain's.

[jokyfo]

Are you stupid? I implied nothing. I asked if he was.

[Gay State Conservative]

Hey...if this stuff didn't work with The Most Ethical President In History it won't work with Biden.

Unfortunately.

[Gay State Conservative]

I dodged the draft: I enlisted (the Feds are sooooo easy to outsmart). My draft number was 307.

Reading the Louisville Courier Journal while sitting on my foot locker at Fort Knox in December '69 I learned that my draft number was 327.I cried myself to sleep that night. But it all turned out for the best.

[drzz]

THANKS !

[deputy]

Not trying to pick a fight, but you must be too young to know that the draft lottery didn't start until 1969, when Biden would have been 27. He'd have turned 18 at the very end of 1960 as I did and would have been draft eligible all through the 60’s. Roughly 100,000 were drafted in the years 1960-1964, but the next 5 years saw that number range between 228,000 and almost 400,000. The first lottery was in December 1969 and was only held for three years following that and the draft ended altogether in 1973.

[Kirkwood]

You are partially correct. The lottery was retroactive to be inclusive of a larger pool of men than only those of a single year. I rechecked Biden’s birthdate and he was born in Nov ‘42 but the lottery only included birthdates from Jan ‘44 and forward. I thought Biden was born in 44, but I was off by about 14 months. So he got past the first go around on the original medical deferrment alone and the lottery had no effect on him.

[RightWingConspirator]

The title of the thread is: "Biden: Draft dodger?"
and the author's text is:
"Anyone know how Biden got out of the draft during the Vietnam War?"

That makes sense to me since I was born in 1941 and my draft board sent me a letter telling me to report for a physical in 1964 when my college deferment ended. Biden was born in 1942 and the draft was still going strong until 1973, although the Selective Service System changed to the lottery scheme in 1969, so he should have received a notice to report for an induction physical just as soon as his college deferment ended.

Either you don't understand the poster's question, or you are guilty of faulty logic or both.