From FemaleFirst · · 50s
Michael Douglas admits not proud of dodging Vietnam draft
Michael Douglas says he's not proud of lying about a spinal condition to avoid Vietnam War drafting.
In brief
Michael Douglas says he's not proud of lying about a spinal condition to avoid Vietnam War drafting. Michael Douglas admitted he's not proud of exaggerating a spinal condition to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. Originally reported by FemaleFirst.
Michael Douglas memoir admission
Michael Douglas admitted he's not proud of lying about a spinal condition to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War.
Spinal condition exaggeration
He exaggerated his spinal condition to get a draft letter with mild and slight adjectives.
“When I went in for my physical, they found something called spondylitis, which in my case meant I was missing a portion of my vertebrae and there was a curvature of my spine.”
Dad's help with draft letter
His dad Kirk asked the doctor to rewrite the letter without qualifiers.
“without the qualifiers”
Draft avoidance outcome
He received a 1-Y designation meaning he could only be called in a dire emergency.
“They gave me a 1-Y designation, which meant I was only to be called if the nation was facing a dire emergency.”
The essence
Michael Douglas admitted he's not proud of exaggerating a spinal condition to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War.
