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big_dog

(4,144 posts)
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 06:50 PM Jul 2015

Donald Trump Evades Specifics On His Vietnam War Draft Deferment

Source: Politico.com

The Vietnam War draft could become a political issue again given the pattern of evasive answers by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The New York billionaire, who was a genuine student-athlete in his youth, came away with a medical deferment in 1968 owing to bone spurs in both heels, according to his latest explanation. But in seeking to downplay that exemption as “minor” and “short-term,” Trump’s campaign raises more questions than it answers as to how he sidestepped military service during the war.

Indeed, for many years, Trump — who was born June 14, 1946 — never mentioned his medical deferment, and Saturday’s explanation from his campaign again downplayed its import. “While attending the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School of Finance, Mr. Trump received a minor medical deferment for bone spurs on both heels of his feet,” the statement reads. “The medical deferment was expected to be short-term and he was therefore entered in the military draft lottery where he received an extremely high number, 356 out of 365.

“When the draft occurred, they never got near his number and he was therefore exempt from serving in the military,” the statement continues. “Although he was not a fan of the Vietnam War, yet another disaster for our country, had his draft number been selected he would have proudly served and he is tremendously grateful to all those who did.”

In fact, a summary of Trump’s draft record — from the National Archives and Records Administration in Missouri and first published by the The Smoking Gun website in 2011 — tells a different story. Trump’s medical deferment is listed for October 1968, months after he had left Wharton. And despite the campaign’s statement that it was “expected to be short-term,” there is no evidence in the records of it being dropped before the draft lottery in 1969.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/donald-trump-evades-specifics-on-his-draft-deferment-120330.html

33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Donald Trump Evades Specifics On His Vietnam War Draft Deferment (Original Post) big_dog Jul 2015 OP
Heeeeeeyyyyy D!!. You know you could have asked your congressman. jtuck004 Jul 2015 #1
Guess he does fit in with the other Repug pols after all. lark Jul 2015 #2
Donald the Dump's deferment versus McCain's service and POW status...... wolfie001 Jul 2015 #3
Did you ever imagine we'd be sticking up for John McCain on DU? George II Jul 2015 #11
No, never! wolfie001 Jul 2015 #15
So why are you doing it? Beauregard Jul 2015 #30
All Republicans Are America's Enemy Yallow Jul 2015 #32
wasn't he the one w/boil on arse? CountAllVotes Jul 2015 #4
That was Limbaugh with the anal cyst, aka brain tumor. George II Jul 2015 #9
I Served With Someone With The Same Condition As Limbaugh DallasNE Jul 2015 #16
figures CountAllVotes Jul 2015 #21
Compare Donald Trump's draft number with John Ellis Bush's draft number... Thor_MN Jul 2015 #5
"While attending the University of Pennsylvania’s PRESTIGIOUS Wharton School of Finance" groundloop Jul 2015 #6
Yes I caught that too. His campaign could help but asshole it up underpants Jul 2015 #12
Really? Roy Rolling Jul 2015 #7
I'm sure it was "great, great" deferment. Only that would do for Trump. tclambert Jul 2015 #8
Yes, it was a "great great deferment, and I like deferments, I respect them" George II Jul 2015 #10
He was a coward 50 years ago and he's still a coward today. n/t BlueStater Jul 2015 #13
cowardly elitist heaven05 Jul 2015 #14
Clinton was a draft dodger Geronimoe Jul 2015 #17
bill clinton..:( DCJ Jul 2015 #19
This message was self-deleted by its author Skittles Jul 2015 #20
It's Only Bad Yallow Jul 2015 #33
Shame on trump DCJ Jul 2015 #18
Fortunate Son Javaman Jul 2015 #22
That was my first thought of a song to play. raven mad Jul 2015 #28
A reporter asked him about those bone spurs Skidmore Jul 2015 #23
I'm torn on this. I only think poorly of the 'Dodgers' when they run on chicken hawk platforms later AtheistCrusader Jul 2015 #24
near-fatal proctalgia fugax? MisterP Jul 2015 #25
Doesn't make him a hero, huh Thinkingabout Jul 2015 #26
Undoubtedly money changed hands somewhere along the lines Warpy Jul 2015 #27
I congratulate anyone who got out of serving in the Vietnam War. Beauregard Jul 2015 #29
I Didn't Go To Vietnam Yallow Jul 2015 #31
 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
1. Heeeeeeyyyyy D!!. You know you could have asked your congressman.
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:01 PM
Jul 2015

I'm sure you had more than one evening out with the building inspectors in New York city as a kid. (Talk about privileged - "here son, is how I get it done&quot , and I know damn good and well after you got back from the military academy you knew at least one.

Try something different. Take responsibility for failure instead of trying to find someone to heap it on.

You heap.




lark

(23,102 posts)
2. Guess he does fit in with the other Repug pols after all.
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:02 PM
Jul 2015

All 0f them are draft dodgers who are all for war, as long as someone else is fighting it.

wolfie001

(2,240 posts)
3. Donald the Dump's deferment versus McCain's service and POW status......
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:06 PM
Jul 2015

....let's see, Trump's an egomaniacal douchebag!

wolfie001

(2,240 posts)
15. No, never!
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 08:10 PM
Jul 2015

He's actually bringing the nation together, negatively for him (Trump of course). Curious and interesting.

 

Yallow

(1,926 posts)
32. All Republicans Are America's Enemy
Tue Jul 21, 2015, 11:30 AM
Jul 2015

Some are just worse than others.....

Republicans Are A Disease .com

DallasNE

(7,403 posts)
16. I Served With Someone With The Same Condition As Limbaugh
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 08:21 PM
Jul 2015

It is an issue were the skin folds in rather than out at the tailbone so after puberty when the body hair grows it festers into a cyst. The soldier I served with didn't have health insurance to take care of it so he put up with the discomfort through boot camp and signal school then when he went on duty assignment he suddenly complained about the pain so he went to the base hospital where he had simple surgery to repair it as the government picked up the tab. Problem solved.

groundloop

(11,519 posts)
6. "While attending the University of Pennsylvania’s PRESTIGIOUS Wharton School of Finance"
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:21 PM
Jul 2015

They never, ever pass up a chance to point out the fact that this asshole was always extremely privileged. IMO, if he went to such a 'prestigious' business school why the hell can't he run a business that doesn't end up in bankruptcy?

Oh yeah, and the masses are supposed to believe that he didn't dodge Vietnam through the simple fact that his family had connections.

underpants

(182,803 posts)
12. Yes I caught that too. His campaign could help but asshole it up
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:42 PM
Jul 2015

He didn't just go to Wharton is was PRESTIGOUS Wharton. What a self absorbed ass.

Roy Rolling

(6,917 posts)
7. Really?
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 07:29 PM
Jul 2015

I guess that explanation plays for those who don't know the lottery system was in place for a very short time after years of preferential draft deferments issued to those of privilege. And, of course, those who were creative and smeared themselves with feces for the induction. You know. As right-wing revisionists now call them---"patriots."

He was eligible from the year 1964 until the first draft lottery for the year 1970. So what about those six years? Bone spurs for six years? "Minor bone spurs" at that.

His campaign better do as good a job of evading the facts as evading the draft. This response is Bush league.

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
14. cowardly elitist
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 08:05 PM
Jul 2015

thinks only the poor and underprivileged should go into harms way. Just like that coward GWB.

 

Geronimoe

(1,539 posts)
17. Clinton was a draft dodger
Sun Jul 19, 2015, 08:24 PM
Jul 2015

Bill Clinton was a draft dodger and became President. This isn't much of an issue for most voters, especially if the candidate isn't a warmonger.

DCJ

(12 posts)
19. bill clinton..:(
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 01:06 AM
Jul 2015

My guess is you weren't to happy about clinton's draft dodging?? Do you feel the same about the trump doing it?? dick the dick cheny, nugent, limpbuagh etc??

Response to DCJ (Reply #19)

 

Yallow

(1,926 posts)
33. It's Only Bad
Tue Jul 21, 2015, 11:33 AM
Jul 2015

When a Democrat does it.

At least Clinton wasn't saying heroes weren't heroes because they got caught.....

Maybe they should ask Trump who got hurt when he declared bankruptcy.

Who got left holding the bag......

DCJ

(12 posts)
18. Shame on trump
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 12:56 AM
Jul 2015

sad thing is he has no shame...... he criticizes others service will he sat home & watched TV...


Javaman

(62,530 posts)
22. Fortunate Son
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 08:36 AM
Jul 2015

Some folks are born, made to wave the flag
Ooo, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no

Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no

Yeah, yeah
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer "More! More! More!", y'all

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no, no, no

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
23. A reporter asked him about those bone spurs
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 08:46 AM
Jul 2015

after his comments, specifically which foot. Trump replied by way of saying that he didn't know and the reporter could check with the staff for that info. I saw this and was shocked by it. I don't know what channel this was on because I wasnot home at the time. I checked for the some note of it on social media and here. I swear that I am not making this up. Did anyone else catch that?

I found an article.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/donald-trump-ignores-draft-deferment-questions-after-criticizing-mccain-vietnam/

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
24. I'm torn on this. I only think poorly of the 'Dodgers' when they run on chicken hawk platforms later
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 12:21 PM
Jul 2015

I don't mind people who tried to avoid that horrible, racist, imperial lie fest that was Vietnam.

I don't even mind that Ted nugent rubbed shit all over himself to avoid it.

I mind that that motherfucker thinks nothing of sending other people's children to die in umpteen other military adventures since.

Warpy

(111,261 posts)
27. Undoubtedly money changed hands somewhere along the lines
Mon Jul 20, 2015, 10:57 PM
Jul 2015

This is why I respond to "let's have a fair draft!" people with such complete derision.

I remember the fair draft. Rich men always bought their sons out unless the sons were dumb enough to think there was glory in war or if Daddy had political aspirations for himself of his son. It doesn't work that way, it has never worked that way. My first Irish family member in this country got his grubstake by taking $300 to take a rich man's son's place in the Union Army in the Civil War.

And if they can't buy a doctor, they'll send the kids off to manage the European or Asian offices or to pursue advanced studies over there, not to return until they're too old for the military.

 

Yallow

(1,926 posts)
31. I Didn't Go To Vietnam
Tue Jul 21, 2015, 11:28 AM
Jul 2015

Donald Trump: My daddy was rich. Only poor people who couldn't afford college got their asses blown off in 'nam. Not me. At least I didn't poop in my pants for 30 days like Ted Nugent did to keep from going. I've got more class than that.

Republicans Are A Disease .com

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