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THE VIETNAM WAR
fly airplanes.”13 Future vice president Dan Quayle served in a headquarters unit of the Indiana National Guard, and future house minority leader Richard Gephardt served in the Missouri Air National Guard from 1965 to 1971. Service in the National Guard or Reserve did entail military obligations. To get into the Reserve, applicants had to take the Armed Forces Qualification Test and sign up for a six-year term. They went through Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA), normally a four-month period divided into eight weeks of basic training. This was followed by another eight weeks of specialized training as an infantryman, cook, clerk, or a variety of other military occupational specialties (MOS). The reservist is on inactive status and for five years fulfilled his obligation through periodic weekend meetings and the two-week annual ACDUTRA summer camp. Some talented reservists discharged their obligation by using their special skills or abilities on behalf of the military. Singer Jack Jones, for example, worked for Armed Forces Radio in Hollywood as his reserve duty. Guardsmen were subject to annual training and temporary call-up for duty once a year. The Guard, and to a lesser degree the Reserve, did serve as a relatively safe haven from the war. President Lyndon Johnson did not want to risk disrupting the economy by mobilizing the Guard and Reserve, so only 38,000 National Guardsmen were called into federal service during the Vietnam War. Mostly, they were called up for riot duty. In late July 1967, over 10,000 National Guardsmen were called up as part of Task Force Detroit to help quell domestic disturbances in that city, and in 1968, 16,000 guardsmen supported police and regular troops suppressing rioters in the aftermath of Dr. King’s assassination. Over 5,000 Illinois Guardsmen were called up in August 1968 during riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The chances of a National Guardsmen being sent to Vietnam were remote, however. Only 15,000 National Guardsmen went to Vietnam, and almost all in 1968, during the height of American combat involvement. All were volunteers, and most were officers, warrant officers, or noncommissioned officers (NCOs). Consequently, as early as 1966, a Pentagon study found that nearly 71 percent of all Guard enlistments appeared to be draft-motivated. The Reserve were also viewed as a reprieve from serving in Vietnam. In 1969, there were 752,000 men in the Army Reserve and the National Guard, and by 1970, the National Guard had a waiting list of over 100,000 applicants. James Cantwell, president of the National Guard Association, believed that 90 percent of all guard enlistments that year were draft-motivated. To reduce favoritism, the Pentagon ordered that as of February 1, 1967, all Reserve vacancies were to be filled strictly in order of application, but this was not the case with the National Guard. Each state controlled its own National Guard organization and its own appointment process, which was frequently influenced by political pressure, corruption, and local considerations. An influential ally in state government, for instance, could move an applicant’s name up the appointment list.14 Professional athletes often benefited from favoritism in securing positions in the Guard or Reserve. Some star athletes did serve in the military, and some in the war. Hiesman Trophy winner and Naval Academy graduate Roger Staubach, for example, served in Vietnam and completed his obligation to the Navy before going on to a hall of fame career with the Dallas Cowboys. Many, however, avoided active duty and Vietnam. Some, surprisingly, received medical deferments. Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp and New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath were both healthy enough to star in the National Football League but sought medical deferments from military service. Others discharged their obligation through service in the Guard or Reserve. The group with