Back in high school I had 700s college boards and congresscritter Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil's recommendation for the Air Force Academy where I wanted to go become a jet jockey, and probably get shot down over Vietnam and be the 20th century Benedict Arnold to say "Wait! Torture that McCain guy over there & give me the rat meat for dinner." That never happened cause with my asthma (no drugs then) they ruled me physically unfit for service. That asthma left me forever during early college.

So, 4 yrs later I've graduated college and I'm out working. Uncle Sam comes after me as ground troop cannon fodder, all expenses paid to SE Asia. Forget the asthma excuses now even if I still had it. I'm one of 3 out of 24 guys to pass the draft physical. The other 21 flunkees were college jocks with thick papers from their pediatricians saying how such a sports injury debilitated them etc. I had no Dr letters. I went back to my boss at Raytheon and I pull my best Bush/Clinton move as I got a job deferment as an engineer working for Raytheon. They also gave me another deferment for having a kid in the oven. I sent my brother to Nam instead. He made it back.

-philw (a.k.a. Benedict Arnold II)