The question is: Were the people who fled to Canada and other points to avoid service in the Vietnam War Cowards?

As far as I see it, this is one of those topics that people try to make more complex than it really is. Granted its a pretty personal decision, made at a time that at least to these folks was pretty intense, but where the rubber meets the road the choice's are actually pretty clear. Your decision is either based on fear: "I don't want to maybe die", or it's based on conviction: "I don't agree with what's going on, and I'm not going to take part in it".

My 2 cents:
I respect those that stood by their conviction, and paid the price (Mohammed Ali is an example). I don't agree with them, but I can respect them to a point.
Anyone who ran, as far as I'm concerned was a coward, and should have never been granted amnesty, nor let back into the country they abandonded the second it was going to cost them something. The only "conviction" this group stood for concerned the yellow stripe running down their backs.

Enough for now.

In my judgement the ones who ran were the more economically challenged cowards as the ones who were better off had positions in NG units that were sure not to be activated secured for them.

Originally Posted by Forrest_Gump

The question is: Were the people who fled to Canada and other points to avoid service in the Vietnam War Cowards?

As far as I see it, this is one of those topics that people try to make more complex than it really is. Granted its a pretty personal decision, made at a time that at least to these folks was pretty intense, but where the rubber meets the road the choice's are actually pretty clear. Your decision is either based on fear: "I don't want to maybe die", or it's based on conviction: "I don't agree with what's going on, and I'm not going to take part in it".

My 2 cents:
I respect those that stood by their conviction, and paid the price (Mohammed Ali is an example). I don't agree with them, but I can respect them to a point.
Anyone who ran, as far as I'm concerned was a coward, and should have never been granted amnesty, nor let back into the country they abandonded the second it was going to cost them something. The only "conviction" this group stood for concerned the yellow stripe running down their backs.

Enough for now.

I guess some had reasons like Parent pressure and some were mature enough to go with their own convictions. It's just a decision they'll have to live with. I would have gone if it was assigned to me because we were all in a line, if I didn't go, the guy behind me would have stepped into my place and I couldn't live with that. But, I am glad it had not fired up until I was out.

I dunno, alot of good people make bad choices. Like Missileer said, they now have to live with it. I doubt many go bragging about how they fled from the draft (for whatever reason).

Well as they don't want to support their country why not just disown them, remove their right to live in the US and also take away their passport.

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

Well as they don't want to support their country why not just disown them, remove their right to live in the US and also take away their passport.

I have to agree with stripping them of their American citizenship. They no longer have a right to claim themselves as American.

I definitely would've been one of the guys who ran on his convictions... But I'm sure there were a lot of cowards too. If there was a direct threat to America, then I'd go, but I wouldn't go to stop the spread of communism in some southeast asian hellhole... World War 2, Korea, sure... But not in a civil war where both sides are shooting at you.

Originally Posted by Forrest_Gump

The question is: Were the people who fled to Canada and other points to avoid service in the Vietnam War Cowards?
Enough for now.

Well coward or not, its all about opinion. To some people they ar cowards, to some they ar just Pacifist. If anyone goin to argue, there will be no end to argument

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

Well as they don't want to support their country why not just disown them, remove their right to live in the US and also take away their passport.

Many many of the draft dodgers can not go back to the US because they still have outstanding warrants for their arrest

I reckon that it is far fetched to strip them of their nationality because they don't want to fight their government's war! Personally I think I would have gone, but I'll never know for sure. But the older I get them more I understand the nay-sayers.
It has to be pretty damn personal for me to step up and go to war! In a war of such dubious nature one should have to right to say "no". Or the government should have made it a volunteers-only war. But to draft people and not give them a choice in a war that is not really worth dying for..... hell, it a tough call. To most defensive wars I'd go, but this specific one.... I guess I'll never know and thank God I am not in the situation that I have to choose!