WI: Bill Clinton served in Vietnam

[Emperor Norton I]

What if Clinton was drafted to serve in the Vietnam war?

[Emperor Norton I]

Anybody? This affects a major political figures in American history and his life path and personality.

[ModernKiwi]

It's going to depend largely on just what he ends up being drafted to do. Being just another REMF in Supply Depot TicTacToe in Saigon is kind of different from being a front line grunt in the 1st Air Cav. and is likely to present a vastly different experience.

[Plumber]

Originally Posted by ModernKiwi

It's going to depend largely on just what he ends up being drafted to do. Being just another REMF in Supply Depot TicTacToe in Saigon is kind of different from being a front line grunt in the 1st Air Cav. and is likely to present a vastly different experience.

Yeah, it's too vague. He could die. He could lose a leg. Or he could be in logistics and not see much action.

[ModernKiwi]

In other words, it changes everything, or nothing. And of course he was in university for the entire time he could have been drafted anyway.

[Emperor Norton I]

I understand the vagueness problems, but the problem is, you can't be sure where exactly he'd wind up. Or at least I don't really know, unless there was a likelihood for where he would wind up that I don't know of.

Originally Posted by ModernKiwi

In other words, it changes everything, or nothing. And of course he was in university for the entire time he could have been drafted anyway.

Draft deferments for most graduate students were ended in 1968.

[ModernKiwi]

68 if I recollect correctly was when he was in Oxford which makes it difficult to draft him. And it's not too long after that when the draw down of forces begins in Vietnam.

Still if you want to run something amusing, why not have him posted to an intel unit? Smart cookie and all that, it's entirely plausible.

[Paul V McNutt]

In 1992, three out of four candidates went to war.Dan Quakye stands out.

[Emperor Norton I]

Originally Posted by Paul V McNutt

In 1992, three out of four candidates went to war.Dan Quakye stands out.

Well, dependent on his political career afterward.

There's also the thing that the rightwing won't be able to say he was a draft dodger as a criticism (a false one in our timeline, btw). And should he become president, we'd have a Vietnam veteran as our chief executive; something that strangely never happened and, given the age of our Vietnam veterans, never will.