From: "Tube" <ramnix@pronet.it>
Subject: Draft evaders: Precisely who and how many?
I was just wondering, can somebody actually cite some figures in percentage
terms about how many people who were drafted actually did not go to Nam,
compared to how many actually did go.
If this list could be further broken down into draft dodgers (escape
artists) v. draft resistors (active risk-all campaigners) please?
Also, how many, (if any) people signed up and went to Nam on a voluntary
basis because they actually wanted to fight?
And how many voluntarily went because they had other reasons for wanting to
be there? (I'm thinking here of medical staff, religious counsellors and
ministers seeing an opening for mission work, humanitarian aid etc. This
latter list can of course include women - Were there any Florence
Nightingale types who felt in their hearts that they had to go and help the
casualties, regardless of political affiliation? How many of these travelled
independently to Nam without government sponsorship or even sanction. (I do
not include journalists in this group, unless of course they were American
counter-culture journalists).
And were there any draft resistors who deliberately went to Nam to protest
and undermine US policy actually in the (rice) field? What was their fate in
this venture?
And most controversially, were there any instances of Americans travelling
independently to Nam to actually fight for or assist the Viet Cong against
the US. Now that WOULD be a story - Americans shooting americans. Of course,
that would not be an anti-war stance, but it would be an anti American
stance
I'm in Italy, I can't get hold of good books on the subject here so I'd
prefer someone to just post the figures on the list for me please.
Thanks,
Tube
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[2]
From: Starluv31@aol.com
Subject: Re: Draft dodgers vs. draft evaders, multiple responses
Does the difference between "dodgers" and "resistors" really mean that much?
In my estimation, those who ably evaded being drafted were very lucky people.
I hope you are not judging anyone who "got out" of service in Nam for any
reason whatsoever. In the face of such senseless destruction as in a war (or
police action - puleeze!), I will never believe that being scared shitless
to fight and/or die isn't as justifiable as CO's. More power to those who
refuse to fight - on whatever grounds!