# 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.
- Title: Michael Douglas admits not proud of dodging Vietnam draft
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: michael douglas, vietnam war, draft avoidance, spinal condition, one helluva ride, kirk douglas, entertainment, culture, Michael, Douglas, admits, proud
- Source: FemaleFirst — https://femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/michael-douglas-proud-avoided-drafted-vietnam-war-1451932.html
- Published: 2026-10-10T17:00:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michael douglas, vietnam war, draft avoidance, spinal condition, one helluva ride, kirk douglas, entertainment, culture
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Michael Douglas admitted he's not proud of exaggerating a spinal condition to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War.