CAMPAIGN ’88 : Calif. Veterans in House
Only one of the 20 current California congressmen who were eligible for the draft during the Vietnam era ever fought in the war, a survey conducted by the Sacramento Bee found.
The newspaper’s survey was prompted by the controversy over the military record of the Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle, who served in the National Guard.
Of the 20 Californians who might have been drafted during the Vietnam years, only Rep. Duncan L. Hunter (R-Coronado) saw action in the war. Hunter, now 40, won a Bronze Star and Air Medal for flying more than 25 helicopter combat missions between 1969 and 1971.
Three others served in the Army or Marine Corps, but not in Vietnam. Charles Pashayan Jr. (R-Fresno) was in the Army from 1968 until 1970. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) was a Marine from 1959-63, before the United States began a large-scale commitment of forces in 1965. And Leon E. Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) was in the Army from 1963 until 1965.
Richard H. Lehman (D-Sanger) joined the National Guard immediately after his college graduation in 1970. The remaining 15 draft-eligible men got deferments and saw no military service.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
