Trump's military past vs his present

You fellas who have served, and thank you for that, how do you reconcile the fact that your president fought the draft? He successfully deferred 4 times for what some call questionable reasons. He's now head of our military, but when he was called to serve, he fought it like his life depended on it.

You folks like me who haven't served - how do you see it?

 
He sounds like this guy


https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/candidates/democrat/clinton/skeletons/draft.shtml
In the autumn of 1969, Clinton entered the draft but received a high number (311) and was never called to serve -- however, Clinton made every effort to avoid the draft prior to entering it.


First, Bill Clinton received education deferments while at Georgetown and Oxford (where he helped organize demonstrations against the war). Second, Clinton attempted to avoid the draft for four years by enrolling, but never joining, the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Clinton had enrolled in the ROTC hoping to avoid military service for four years, but, wanting a future in politics, had a change of heart and entered the draft.


In December 1969, safe from the draft with his high lottery number, Clinton changed his mind about joining the ROTC program and wrote a letter to the director of the ROTC program thanking him "for saving me from the draft" and regretted misleading him by not revealing the extent of his opposition to the war. The letter was leaked by the Pentagon to ABC news early in the 1992 fueled criticism of candidate Clinton's character.


Later in the 1992 campaign, it became known that Clinton's uncle had attempted to get Bill Clinton a Navy Reserve assignment during the Vietnam war. Clinton said he didn't know anything about it to the press on September 3, 1992 but a day later admitted that a former draft board member had informed him of his uncles' attempt several months before.
 
Not admirable. Cheating on his wife not admirable either. Guess he's not a saint. Anything else? At least he loves the military and doesn't hate the country like our last president.
 
Not admirable. Cheating on his wife not admirable either. Guess he's not a saint. Anything else? At least he loves the military and doesn't hate the country like our last president.

We compare current to past presidents a lot. That's probably a good thing.
 
I tried to join the Air Force, but was turned down due to asthma, so I can't comment from that angle...but here's how I see it. You seem to be implying that the military shouldn't be run by a person you consider a coward.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, if somebody had used a loophole to get out of the draft, I would consider it cowardice. After 9-11, when the war on terror began, if there had been a draft, I would have considered it cowardice to refuse to serve.

Vietnam, on the other hand, wasn't about retaliation or protecting America from foreign invaders, it was simply an extension of the Cold War...western democracy vs. communism. It was a stupid war of ideals that nobody wanted. If somebody tried to get out of going into a conflict that the government had no real intention of winning, I don't really consider it cowardice per-se.
 
As a vet that has been in 2 wars I don't like when anyone defers when the country calls. However, there was/is a need for educational deferment. Some people just aren't cut out for the military and no one should criticize them for that. Most people (90%) don't get through all the requirements anyway. Who knows if Trump would have. I have more of a problem with people like Cassius Clay-Muhammad Ali who just refused.
 
He had 4 deferments while in college, and 1 medical from a doctor for bone spurs in his foot i believe. I'm not sure i would consider those "questionable".

Clinton and Obama also did not serve. were they qualified to be president?
 
and 1 medical from a doctor for bone spurs in his foot i believe. I'm not sure i would consider those "questionable".

Yet those bone spurs haven't kept him from wasting over $100 million in tax dollars walking around the golf course all day which he claimed he wouldn't have time to do in the first place.
 
Yet those bone spurs haven't kept him from wasting over $100 million in tax dollars walking around the golf course all day which he claimed he wouldn't have time to do in the first place.
i think the bone spurs might have healed in the past 50 years. And i doubt he walks. Probably get a cart with that 100 million.
 
Yet those bone spurs haven't kept him from wasting over $100 million in tax dollars walking around the golf course all day which he claimed he wouldn't have time to do in the first place.
I can't remember but aren't you in California? If so you're elected officials passed a bill that gives illegal aliens free healthcare that will cost the actual citizens of Ca $100 million in the first year alone. I'd think you'd be more concerned with that.
 
Lets see if it comes up as a talking point during debates. hah.
They asked all the democratic nominees about that and every single one of them said they would give free healthcare to illegal aliens nationwide. No word exist in the English language for how crazy that is. Having said that, they already get it anyway. They all go to the hospital and hospitals can't turn them away. They never end up paying a dime.
 
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