Responses to Vietnam War Draft Dodgers 20 Years Later

When I read the letters about the draft, I felt as if I were reliving the arguments I had with my parents and others some 20 years ago. As I tried to explain then, the draft should be seen in the context of the times.

Abuse of power was prevalent from arbitrary arrests to the killings at Kent State University (Ohio) in 1970. The draft law, capriciously applied, was seen as another attack by an unresponsive, faceless authority which controlled the lives of the citizens.

The letters show that the divisions about the draft and war still exist. Purity of motives is still questioned. Defensiveness rises and generalities abound. The wounds have not healed. The reaction to the draft is not seen through the eyes of the 1980s but continues to roil our hearts of the 1960s.

PATRICK J. MURPHY

Corona