Kevyn wrote:
No, This time I am not talking about Cadet bone spurs but another cowardly right wing blowhard, John Wayne. Wayne avoided service Like the plague during WW2, choosing instead to line his pockets making movies. Along with this hypocrisy he was also a dyed in the wool racist. Making this statement in a Playboy Magazine interview. “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people,“ he said.
Wayne also said that although he didn’t condone slavery: “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves.” The actor said he felt no remorse in the subjugation of Native Americans.
“I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival,” he said.
“There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”
Now it looks as if the people of Orange County California will strip his name from their airport, perhaps they will rename it for someone worthy of the honor, I like the sound of César Estrada Chávez International Airport, it would honor a man who actually did good for Californians rather than a phony racist entertainer.
No, This time I am not talking about Cadet bone sp... (
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John Wayne was born as Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907 in Iowa. By the time America got involved in World War II in December 1941, he was 34 years and 7 months old, not eligible for the draft so to states he was a draft dodger is not true. And to say he avoided service like the plague is another falsehood. This from Wikipedia:
“America's entry into World War II resulted in a deluge of support for the war effort from all sectors of society, and Hollywood was no exception. Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status (classified as 3-A – family deferment). Wayne repeatedly wrote to John Ford saying he wanted to enlist, on one occasion inquiring whether he could get into Ford's military unit, but consistently kept postponing it until after "he finished just one or two pictures".[36] Wayne did not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but Republic Studios was emphatically resistant to losing him since he was their only A-list actor under contract. Herbert J. Yates, President of Republic, threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract,[37] and Republic Pictures intervened in the Selective Service process, requesting Wayne's further deferment
U.S. National Archives records indicate that Wayne, in fact, did make an application[39] to serve in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor to the modern CIA, and had been accepted within the U.S. Army's allotted billet to the OSS. William J. Donovan, OSS Commander, wrote Wayne a letter informing him of his acceptance into the Field Photographic Unit, but the letter went to his estranged wife Josephine's home. She never told him about it. Wayne toured U.S. bases and hospitals in the South Pacific for three months in 1943 and 1944.[40] with the USO.[41][42][43] During this trip, he carried out a request from Donovan to assess whether General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the South West Pacific Area, or his staff were hindering the work of the OSS.[20]:88 Donovan later issued Wayne an OSS Certificate of Service to memorialize Wayne's contribution to the OSS mission.
By many accounts, his failure to serve in the military later became the most painful part of his life.[36] His widow later suggested that his patriotism in later decades sprang from guilt, writing: "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home."[45]
Could he have done more to get out of his contract and go into the military? Maybe, but it’s important to realize that he had a powerful opponent in Republic Pictures.
And there were his two medical problems; an old knee injury from college football at USC and heel spurs. Knee injuries are very troublesome and kept other prominent people out of the draft over the years including Mickey Mantle and Joe Namath. I’ve been troubled with heel spurs & can attest that they can be horribly painful, laying you up for the duration of an attack. You can’t even walk; how can you march?
As for the rest of these accusations, you have to consider the source. Contempt, hatred and scorn ooze from every one of his postings.
Oh Kevyn, what about the draft and military history of one William J Clinton?