If you were drafted to fight in Vietnam, what would you have done?

[??????????]

Proudly have fought. I definately wouldn't have been one of those damn hippie cowards that dodged the draft and didn't have enough balls to serve for their nation. Vietnam was the right war at the right time.

[nini2287]

I probably would have fought out of duty to my country.  I briefly thought about going to the Air Force or Naval Acadamies.

[Ebowed]

Dodged.

[minionofmidas]

Tried to dodge, but only within the bounds of legality.

[Rin-chan]

fought (r)

Even though I wouldn't have been drafted anyway... being female and all...

Rin-chan

[MODU]

Fought, obviously.

[MasterJedi]

Fought (R), it was my duty and I was called up so I'd serve my country.

[John Dibble]

Honestly, I'm not sure any of us can really say unless it happened. I think I'd either try to join the navy or simply go along with it and try to get into a less dangerous position like being a cook or something.

[opebo]

Dodged, obviously, as it is the ony rational move.  However it would have been WONDERFUL to be in Southeast Asia at that time, if one could've avoided the fighting.

[Sam Spade]

If I ever thought I would be drafted I would enlist in the navy before they had a chance to draft me.

This is the correct call. 

Still, if drafted I would have gone, unlike some of the hippies that run rampant on this site. 

[Gabu]

I would have immediately moved to Texas and joined the Air National Guard.

[??????????]

Honestly, I'm not sure any of us can really say unless it happened. I think I'd either try to join the navy or simply go along with it and try to get into a less dangerous position like being a cook or something.

No, I can honestly say I'd go. As I would have supported the war and I still believe we did the right thing.

[Colin]

I would have fought.

Though if I thought I had any chance of getting drafted I probably would have joined the navy like my grandfather did in 1941 and my great-grandfather did in 1917.

If it had come down to it I would fight.

[Boris]

I'm flat-footed. I wouldn't have been drafted.

Out of curiosity, when did the draft primarily take place? I probably would have fought in 1965 or 1966, but there's no way in hell I'm going to Vietnam in 1967 or 1968.

[afleitch]

Make a pass at my commanding officer and be on my way home

[ilikeverin]

Dodged, like a sane.

[David S]

Make a pass at my commanding officer and be on my way home

Even if I was male and thus eligible for the draft, I am in such poor health (bad eyesight, asthma, severe allergies, et cetera) that the armed forces would probably kick me out anyway.

The female part would have kept you from being drafted, but the health issues might not. Basically if you had a pulse you were qualified.

Speaking of female; Congressional members of the party whose avatar you are now wearing proposed a bill in 2004 which would have drafted everyone, ladies included. Be careful what you wish for.

[Keystone Phil]

Proudly served. I even agree, to a degree, with what States said about Vietnam being the right war at the right time. I don't care how outrageous or funny that sounds to anyone.

[Inmate Trump]

i would've dodged.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Proudly served. I even agree, to a degree, with what States said about Vietnam being the right war at the right time. I don't care how outrageous or funny that sounds to anyone.

So can you exactly explain why the war was actually a good thing?

[Keystone Phil]

Proudly served. I even agree, to a degree, with what States said about Vietnam being the right war at the right time. I don't care how outrageous or funny that sounds to anyone.

So can you exactly explain why the war was actually a good thing?

I would want to stand with the lesser of two evils especially when the greater evil is a savage communist regime.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Proudly served. I even agree, to a degree, with what States said about Vietnam being the right war at the right time. I don't care how outrageous or funny that sounds to anyone.

So can you exactly explain why the war was actually a good thing?

I would want to stand with the lesser of two evils especially when the greater evil is a savage communist regime.

But is it worth killing unwilling American kids over?

[Keystone Phil]

But is it worth killing unwilling American kids over?

The war wasn't exactly conducted in the best ways so I'd obviously like to see things done differently. I guess your question is not whether or not I'd support it if we went back and changed strategy but instead if it was worth it how we did it, without altering history. It's a tough question to answer. I support the principle of the war 100% but I'd say that the extreme amount of lives lost wasn't worth it.

To address the point more specifically of killing unwilling American kids - I don't support the idea of the draft unless it is absolutely necessary. With a voluntary service we don't run into the problem of unwilling service men and women (unless they're simply using the system for educational or other purposes which is a whole different subject). If you're unwilling to serve, I really don't want you in the military.