A Brief History
On December 28, 1972, the last day for inductees to be sworn in to the US armed forces due to the draft, most induction centers were closed due to President Nixon declaring the day a National Day of Mourning due to the death of former President Truman. Finding their induction centers closed, 300 draftees were not able to be inducted, and since the next workday was in 1973, they were never inducted since the US had suspended the draft effective in 1973.
Digging Deeper
Military conscription, commonly known as “The Draft” has been controversial in the US going back to the Civil War. Many have argued against the draft, and the Vietnam War brought the issue to a head.
A number of well-known individuals alleged to have been draft dodgers during the Vietnam War era include Muhammad Ali, Ted Nugent, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump, although in several of these instances, the accuracy of the allegations have been challenged by numerous media outlets and so we encourage you to judge these allegations for yourself.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Gold, Phillip. The Coming Draft: The Crisis in Our Military and Why Selective Service Is Wrong for America. Presidio Press , 2006.
Lookabill, Royce. From Socrates to Soldier: Lessons Learned by a New College Grad Thanks to the Military Draft. Independently published, 2023.
The featured image in this article, a photograph of a wreath by Truman’s casket, December 27, 1972, is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. For further explanation, see Commons:Hirtle chart as well as a detailed definition of “publication” for public art.
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