ABSTRACT

In a 1992 op-ed piece for the New York Times, Garry Trudeau recollected some of his experiences related to the draft for the Vietnam War. Trudeau remembered receiving calls of concern from friends and family on the night of the draft lottery, after they had heard about his low number. He then recalled a series of events involving his attempts to gain a draft deferment: requesting a national security deferment from the draft board for his work with a magazine; deciding not to apply for conscientious objector status because he could imagine circumstances in which he would take another's life; preparing for his interview with the draft board by receiving a "memorable haircut"; and finally, gaining a medical deferment from the board after sending them, upon his physician father's advice, X-rays revealing a past ulcer. This recollection, he reported, remained unchanged for 20 years.