It wasn’t that college students were trying to avoid service. It was that going to college was a relatively easy way of avoiding the service. A lot of people who ordinarily would not go to college went simply to avoid the draft.

Some people think there was a good reason for that. It’s one thing to do something you believe in, it’s another to be compelled to do something someone else believes in. Add in the part about maybe getting blown to bits, and conscription begins to look a lot like slavery.

I really didn’t think it was the furniture store. :)

It’s a challenge for only the few, and that’s probably always going to be the case. But the rest of us can still “serve with distinction” — at the very least by demanding of our Congresspeople that they expand the GI Bill and the veterans benefits and services that were so drastically cut during the last administration. And beyond that, we can fight with political action to uphold the freedoms our service people are upholding on the front lines.

Also, don’t forget the military families who also serve. If you are store owner or restauranteur, offer them a discount. If you are a neighbor, help them out.

Thanks for that Chaz, and thank you for your service.