Caesar: They say we gotta support our soldiers fighting overseas. Huey: Yeah. Caesar: Didn't Bush duck Vietnam? Huey: Guess that means I won't be supporting him!
It used to be that most presidents had at least some military service. It used to be that some presidents got elected precisely because of their military service. Since the mid 20th century, American presidents have been: Truman; served in the Army in WW1. Eisenhower; career military, supreme allied commander in Europe in WW2. Kennedy; Navy, WW2. Johnson; Navy, WW2. (He joined the Naval Reserve in 1940, and when he was activated he asked for a command assignment. He didn’t get one, but he was in the Reserves prior to American entry into the war and he did ask.) Nixon; Navy, WW2. He spent most of the war in logistics. Ford, Navy, WW2. He had a combat assignment aboard a carrier and was nearly killed during Halsey’s Hurricane. Carter; Navy, after WW2. He was a submariner, and served in early nuke subs. Reagan, Army. He was in the Reserves as of 1937, was called to active duty in 1942, spent the war in logistics and support. Bush 1, Navy. Youngest pilot in the history of the USN. Shot down and nearly killed during operations against Japan. Clinton… actively avoided service. Bush 2; Air Force Reserve. At that time being in the reserves was an excellent way to avoid getting sent into combat, unlike the way it is now or how it was in WW2. He also flew F-102 and F-106 dedicated interceptors. Those aircraft were not dogfighters, had no guns and could not carry air-to-ground weapons, making them utterly useless in Vietnam, unless the Soviets had been insane enough to hand the North Vietnamese heavy bombers. He spent the latter part of the Vietnam era in Texas and Alabama as part of the air defense of the south eastern US because the Soviets not only had been insane enough to hand Cuba some bombers, but put a few of their own in the island from time to time. Obama, did not serve. Trump, actively avoided service. (There is a difference between ‘did not serve’ and ‘actively avoided service’. Obama was too young for the draft; Trump had alleged bone spurs. No comment.)
No candidate for any federal elective office, shall be eligible for that office without first serving, a minimum of two years, full-time, in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and the full record of what that candidate did, shall be accurately stated in that candidate’s campaign material.
Any federal elective office, means every Congressional seat, every Senatorial seat and the Presidency. With, veterans in all those positions, the vastly bureaucratic abuses and local law enforcement abuses against veterans, who have been so often designated as “an all-sacrificing underclass,” will make our nation actually worthy of having a national defense.
Painted Wolf almost 6 years ago
It used to be that most presidents had at least some military service. It used to be that some presidents got elected precisely because of their military service. Since the mid 20th century, American presidents have been: Truman; served in the Army in WW1. Eisenhower; career military, supreme allied commander in Europe in WW2. Kennedy; Navy, WW2. Johnson; Navy, WW2. (He joined the Naval Reserve in 1940, and when he was activated he asked for a command assignment. He didn’t get one, but he was in the Reserves prior to American entry into the war and he did ask.) Nixon; Navy, WW2. He spent most of the war in logistics. Ford, Navy, WW2. He had a combat assignment aboard a carrier and was nearly killed during Halsey’s Hurricane. Carter; Navy, after WW2. He was a submariner, and served in early nuke subs. Reagan, Army. He was in the Reserves as of 1937, was called to active duty in 1942, spent the war in logistics and support. Bush 1, Navy. Youngest pilot in the history of the USN. Shot down and nearly killed during operations against Japan. Clinton… actively avoided service. Bush 2; Air Force Reserve. At that time being in the reserves was an excellent way to avoid getting sent into combat, unlike the way it is now or how it was in WW2. He also flew F-102 and F-106 dedicated interceptors. Those aircraft were not dogfighters, had no guns and could not carry air-to-ground weapons, making them utterly useless in Vietnam, unless the Soviets had been insane enough to hand the North Vietnamese heavy bombers. He spent the latter part of the Vietnam era in Texas and Alabama as part of the air defense of the south eastern US because the Soviets not only had been insane enough to hand Cuba some bombers, but put a few of their own in the island from time to time. Obama, did not serve. Trump, actively avoided service. (There is a difference between ‘did not serve’ and ‘actively avoided service’. Obama was too young for the draft; Trump had alleged bone spurs. No comment.)
Adiraiju almost 6 years ago
I have nothing but respect for (the vast majority of) those soldiers. The folks who sent ’em out there, on the other hand…
Daniel Jacobson almost 6 years ago
We need a Constitutional Amendment that states:
No candidate for any federal elective office, shall be eligible for that office without first serving, a minimum of two years, full-time, in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and the full record of what that candidate did, shall be accurately stated in that candidate’s campaign material.
Any federal elective office, means every Congressional seat, every Senatorial seat and the Presidency. With, veterans in all those positions, the vastly bureaucratic abuses and local law enforcement abuses against veterans, who have been so often designated as “an all-sacrificing underclass,” will make our nation actually worthy of having a national defense.