Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
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Notes -
Listening to a podcast about "Mcnamara's Morons"; guys who couldn't pass the exams to serve in the military who were shuffled in to bulk up the ranks. The host talked about guys who couldn't learn how to tie their shoes, who died in combat. Then a tangent began about draft dodgers in the Vietnam era. Are there any good comparative studies of whether the Vietnam era draft was dodged more than other comparable drafts?
I know that in the Civil War one could simply pay a substitute to fight for you. I've heard a few less credible stories of draft dodging in the World Wars, stuff like Lucky Luciano intentionally getting Syphilis to avoid service. But I'm wondering what the scale was like, and if anyone knows of a good comparison.
Gwern wrote a good review of the book.
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