"Dodgers"

Prior to direct U.S. Military intervention, many Americans disagreed with the draft. In 1965 when the U.S. began to put 'boots on the ground,' opposition to the draft grew.  Men found ways to avoid being drafted, whether legal or illegal.

◀ A newspaper headline from Arizona, July 28th 1965

The headline above is an example of the type of news Americans received on a daily basis. As troops continued to pour into Vietnam, disillusionment with the war became more widespread.

Deferment

 In the beginning, there were many ways in which to delay military service (legally defer), including college, physical or mental problems, being married or having children, or being needed at home to support their families. During the war, about 15.4 million people were legally exempted, disqualified, or deferred. Many prominent figures have received draft deferments, including Donald Trump.

The classification 2-S is a student deferment. College students were often able to receive a deferment, until 1971 when President Nixon changed the law to allow students to be drafted. 

When Trump graduated in 1968, his classification changed to 1-A, "available for service."
Later that year, his classification changed after a doctor's appointment. With this 1-Y designation, Trump would only be called to serve in the case of an emergency.





In an NPR interview with Larry Pressler, a Vietnam veteran and former senator, callers discuss their experiences with deferments, drafting,  and public reactions to their decisions. There is still controversy of what is considered "draft dodging." Medical deferments, student deferments, etc. are seen by some as excuses for refusing to "serve one's county", rather than authentic reasons for avoidance. Other dodgers went as far as to leave the country so they wouldn't have to fight.

A page from a 1968 'uncensored' magazine

Evasion

In 1965, President Johnson ended the marriage deferment. With less and less ways to avoid military service, some men relocated to other countries, including Canada and Mexico. This "draft dodging" was highly controversial. These men were seen as unpatriotic, or even cowards. At the same time, the war was becoming more and more unpopular. People began to be more active in protests and the draft resistance effort, including refusal to participate in a war they didn't believe in. The number of Americans who relocated to Canada is unclear, though it is estimated to be anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 people. This was met with harsh criticism from draft supporters, many of whom believed that those who fled were "cowards," rather than moral objectors to the war. This is exemplified in the magazine page at right, which groups the Canadian draft dodgers in with "homos" and degenerates." Many Americans were outraged that their fellow citizens would relocate in order to avoid military service.  In 1977, President Carter created an amnesty program to allow draft evaders to come back into the country. Many live in Canada to this day, however; and most stand by their decision.
Stephen Strauss, a man who left the U.S. during the war, continues to live in Canada. Of his decision, Strauss said, 

"I hurt no one...I violated nothing in myself. I tried to do what I thought was just, not simply for myself but for the country I was born into...I am not tortured with thoughts of returning to the United States. And yet I would do it all again. Not, I think, because I was singularly moral or good or right, but because it is a decision I can even now respect."