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Having never served in the military, I am unable to criticise either Bush or Kerry for their service or lack thereof. Having read numerous articles regarding the distinction that Kerry volunteered and Bush did not, my understanding is this is misleading and subject to debate.
Bush enlisted in the Air National Guard, a relatively safe stateside gig that would almost guarantee no combat. His unit was never activated, lucky for George.
Kerry applied for student deferment with the draft board and was denied. Subsequently, he enlisted in the Naval Reserves. Unfortunately for Kerry, his unit had the bad luck of being activated.
What I understand is that neither man actually volunteered for active service in Vietnam. Also, let's not forget that both men have privileged backgrounds. To be critical and fair to each party, I suppose one could say that George Bush "dodged" Vietnam and John Kerry had to be "dragged" there.
Beyond this non-story in my opinion, there are more pressing issues than what these two men did or did not do thirty-five years ago.
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"The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk."
-- Massimo d'Azeglio
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