Posted on 10/19/2007 11:31:13 AM PDT by RKV
Pardon the vanity post, oh admin mod. I just listened to Dingy Harry Reid's comments of today, regarding his pathetic attempt to smear Rush. He is very critical of Rush's deferment from military service. I checked Harry's Senate bio and he make's no reference to military service himself (he sez he was a Capitol Policeman). Being as Harry was born in 1939 that would make him 18 in 1957, the same year as Elvis was drafted (Presley was 22 at the time). So my question is did Dingy Harry serve in the US military? If so, what branch and at what rank and term of service?
Thanks for the correction.
I'm curious about that whole deferment process.I,too,was in the first lottery and my number...327...was drawn while I was at Fort Knox in basic training.
When one had an ailment that could cause the Armed Forces to reject you did military screening doctors themselves confirm the ailment or were they willing to accept a letter from a private physician?
.... "Dear US Army,my patient,John Smith,suffers from malaria,fallen arches,schizophrenia,bad breath and/or cancer.Please excuse him from serving in the Army.Signed,James Jones MD".
P.S.,in spite of how it might seem,I'm not trying to be a wiseguy here.I fully accept what you say about the Army not wanting you and I'm sure that most medical deferments were legitimate and not due to crooked doctors or cowardly potential draftees.
He stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, though.
And being drafted in 1957 meant spending a two-year enlistment either in the US or Germany for most draftees - not risk of actual combat in the jungles of Southeast Asia. ................... Being the same age as Reid, he would have probably been called up for the Berlin Crisis. Kennedy drafted 240K for that one, and a year later, the Cuban Crisis mean’t more draftees. The big over seas assignment areas were Korea and Germany at the time. If he received a deferment, he could have been sent to RVN in the mid 60’s.
Reid was born in the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada to Inez and Harry V. Reid.[2] Reid attended Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada. Mike O'Callaghan, future Governor of Nevada and Reid's history teacher, coached Reid in boxing at the Henderson Boys' Club.[3] Reid's friends in Searchlight dubbed him "Pinky" because of his fair complexion.[4]
Reid received his A.S. from Southern Utah State College in 1959 and in 1961 earned his B.S. from Utah State University. He moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as an officer for the U.S. Capitol Police while attending George Washington University for his law degree. Reid graduated in 1964 and returned to Nevada to work as a lawyer before entering politics. Reid is married to Landra Gould.[5] Reid and his wife have five children, one of whom, Rory Reid, is an elected Commissioner for Clark County, Nevada, and another who recently ran for municipal office in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.[6]
Pinky because he was a commie, a wuss or just gay ?
Most of us in that period did our duty and served - - it was a different world.
Actually, I think Elvis’ number did not litterally come up, he just was not eligible for deferments apparently. There were no draft lotteries from 1942 until 1969.
Thus Reid missing out on military service was more likely due to deferments the same as Cheney. BTW, here are the number of inductees during the years you listed for Limbaugh, 589,938, and here are the number of inductees during the years you listed for Reid. 582,091. That almost 8,000 difference is less 1.3%. (There were more up front in the Limbaugh years when he might have been in his last year of high school, while in the Reid year it was a bit more evenly spread out.) During Limbaugh’s time frame there were draftt lotteries.
Har! I didn’t get until you made me look again. Har-dee-har-har! :)
It must have been.
But I would guess that the people coming of age in 1956 grew up admiring the US military in a formative period of their lives - their childhoods were spent with the US on a war footing (rationing, etc.) and it was a commonly observed phenomenon that many graduates went to college only after they served in the military. Also, it was peacetime.
Many of those coming of age in 1966 remembered only postwar prosperity and thought they were entitled to a college education and the good life - the notion of "the man" snatching them off campus and packing them off to an hionest-to-goodness shooting war was almost bound to provoke the reaction it did.
I beg to differ.
Harry R served as a field dummy on the bayonette practice range.
I also understand he was dispatched to retrieve unexploded ordnance
on the artillery range. Or was that Max Cleland? Hmmmm.
MV
No this was an Army doctor. I had no idea that I had this condition. This was my Senior year in college. I was scheduled to be married right after graduation. I had contacted the various branches about enlisting. They all told me to wait until I passed my physical. My point is Dirty Harry was saying Rush avoided service when it was the Army that said he did not qualify just like me.
Served as President of the United States in a war.
Hosted a successful radio talk-show.
Obtained a favorable political rating higher than 30%.
Considering the general lack of military experience in the Republican leadership it probably isn’t that wise to question the lack of military experience in the Democrat leadership.
Good guess - - and yes, I remember ration books (created one hell of a black market).
The difference between war babies and baby boomers.
Harry was still hiding behind his momma probably then...just as he hides behind Dancy Nancy now.
All three!
LLS
As I recall everyone during those times who was single was drafted. Most guys that were drafted in those days were older. Only the guys who volunteered for the draft and enlistee's were younger than about 22-24 yrs of age.
Yes,I understand that Reid,and many others,have questioned the legitimacy of whatever deferment Rush received back then.And I understand what you said about the Army doctor having the final say regarding who is and who is not fit to serve...assuming that said doctor is complying with Army Medical Corps regulations that might be in effect at the time.
Very few people were drafted from 1957-1963, when Harry Reid was in the most draftable age range.
*******
B.S.
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