How could young men avoid the draft in the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

Approximately 22,000 US draft dodgers were indicted; 8,800 were convicted; 4,000 were imprisoned.

Many left the United States and fled to Canada to avoid being drafted. Others avoided being drafted and sent to war by joining the national guard or some other agency that meant they were already in the military but not subject to being sent abroad. Some also evaded the draft by staying in college or other schools to obtain a deferment from the draft.

The reasons for refusing to fight in the war included fear of personal injury and death (cowardice?), pacifism or conscientious objection because the war was not a just war or the U.S. had no business fighting it.

Answer 2

All wars traditionally use young men. Drummer boys were used by both sides during the US Civil War. "Powder Monkeys" & "Cabin Boys", boys that carried gunpowder to the crewmen manning the guns aboard wooden sailing ships, were common practice amongst British and American Navies. Many young men under the age of 18 were not honest about their age when they enlisted into the US Military during WW2. They were all given a presidential pardon when the war was over. Technically, all men under the age of 21 in Vietnam were minors, 21 was the legal adult age until the early 70's.

Answer 3

The vast majority enlisted to avoid being drafted. Volunteers joined the Army or Air National Guard of their state, or the US Navy, US Air Force, US Coast Guard. The US Marines and US Army were almost always the last pick. By enlisting in the Army instead of waiting to be drafted they might avoid Vietnam and get stationed in Europe or Korea, or even stateside.

Answer 4

Under the disguise of "war being immoral", the vast majority of draft dodgers simply feared military service (read "Boot Camp"). During the 1960's, US Army/Marine Corp boot camps were not politically correct; they were downright mentally & physically tough. Draft dodgers knew it, most civilians knew it, and they were going to avoid such treatment at all costs!

Answer 5

One way of avoiding the draft was to enlist in the Coast Guard, as only 15,000 or so were actually sent overseas to Vietnam during the war. Other forms of draft evasion involved exaggerated medical conditions, claiming homosexuality, or pretending to have drug addictions or mental health problems.

Also, it is important to note that the better educated and more financially advantaged a person was, the easier it was to avoid the draft as a result of technicalities or other loopholes, and access to better counseling, advice, and professionals.

Answer 6

To many people (soldiers and civilians) it seemed that the United States was not defending any vital American interest by fighting in the Vietnam War, but was merely meddling in the affairs of another nation (which the US has often done). Subsequent events have proved beyond question that this skepticism about the war was correct. The defeat of South Vietnam, which the US fought so desperately to prevent, has caused no problems for the US, and did not result in the entire world being taken over by communism. So it was true that American soldiers were asked to risk their lives unnecessarily, in the service of some politicians' paranoia.

Answer 7

The number was small, but very vocal. They had a good support network and their numbers increased as did the body bags.

Answer 8

A good many men stated that "if they didn't have to go through boot camp, they'd go to Vietnam." So basically they feared boot camp and/or they feared military service.