Dear Russ,
My electrical engineer son, who did not have to join the army of course, wanted to do so right after 9/11. My wife (LTC US Army retired and a Nam vet like me) and I persuaded him to finish his degree first. He did. Then he joined. Our daughter tried after she got her degree but due to injuries incurred playing college lacrosse she could not pass the physical...amazing, but true. But she tried! I remember very well how the protests seemed to just poof away in 1973 and how all those vociferous protestors found other things to do once they no longer had the draft to worry about. On the other hand, a lot of those female protestors, the college coed types, may have been loud and into demos, but in college, where I went from 70 through graduation in 72, after my tours in Nam, they seemed to sort of 'like' veterans...even those of us like me who were still in but attending school. Maybe we were a bit 'cleaner'???...who knows, but I do recall having some 'fun' with them (before meeting my wife of course). Today, as a high school chemistry and physics teacher (wonderful retirement job for a former infantry officer) I have lots of experience with colleagues who managed to avoid service...and my few colleagues who are veterans and I share a polite disdain for those who, in our opinion, chickened out. It's also interesting that among us veterans on my faculty, most of our kids have chosen to serve! I wonder why...
Great stuff, Russ...thanks...and I enjoy the McGee books lots too
Ken