Why didn't Stephen King get drafted? Has he ever said?

[raccoon]

Maybe he had a student deferment?

[HopeHoops]

1. Anal cysts.

No wait, that was the rush-hole.

[Ineeda]

2. Don't know for sure but

his vision is notoriously bad.

[redqueen]

5. I think it was both that

and flat feet that got him rejected.

[Bluzmann57]

3. When was he born?

See, if he was born in 1957 or part of 1958, he didn't even have to register for Selective Service. How do I know? Because that's when I was born and I didn't have to register. Not sure if that's the answer or not, but it may be.

[raccoon]

4. He was born in 1947--so he'd be very susceptible to the draft. nt

[rfranklin]

7. But he may have gotten a high number in the lottery...

I am about the same age and was not so fortunate.

[Octafish]

10. Those born in that time period cannot serve on the Draft Board, either.

That's my year of birth, too, Bluzmann57. Fair's Fair: Getting out of having to register for Selective Service means I cannot send someone else into harm's way.

[Johnyawl]

12. classified 4-f

From his biographical information on his website: "He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums"

[Atman]

13. I believe he said he was 64 yo. The odds were in his favor.

Remember, it was a lottery. My bother, now 55, had to register, but the draft was cancelled soon thereafter. I never had to register, born in '59. It is totally plausible that Mr. King's number just never got called before they stopped the draft. I don't think he had enough standing back then to give him a special deferment.

[hifiguy]

22. I was sweating bullets, but the draft was ended the year I turned 17.

It was a great relief. My dad told me he'd pay my way to Canada if need be.

[southernyankeebelle]

6. During VN if I am not mistake it was towards the end of the conflict that

they started calling up people by number. My brother's number was like at 350. His birthday number could have been high up and he didn't have to go right then.

[Old and In the Way]

I think it was Spring of '72.

I was in the '71 lottery and had to go for my medical due to the # I pulled. But they stopped processing new draftee's shortly after, as I remember.

[The Straight Story]

8. I dunno, but he is working on a sequel to the shining

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni18151664/

[trumad]

9. I think he was writing Carrie at the time.

[raccoon]

31. Is there a special exemption for that? 4-C? LOL nt

[MilesColtrane]

11. The local draft board classified him as 1-SAF.

(Scary As Fuck)

[pinboy3niner]

23. ROFL!

I was thinking 1-TSFTA (Too Scary For The Army). With King in your barracks, who'd be able to sleep?

[MineralMan]

14. Lots of reasons are possible.

Born in 1947? Well, if he had been in college at the usual age, he'd have had a student deferment until the lottery came into effect and drew a high number. That's what happened for my brother. I was born in 1945, and dropped out of college in 1965. It didn't take long for my notice to appear for a physical showed up after that. So, I enlisted in the USAF.

Lots of people didn't get drafted. I'm not sure why the question came up.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. I do not know, but his fiction includes some characters who had

student deferments and thus avoided the draft but not the monster that is war....

[gratuitous]

16. King the writer or King the jerknose congressman?

Sorry to have missed out.

[JohnnyRingo]

24. Good question...

I read all the comments up to here assuming it was about the frighteningly macabre King. Now you remind me that there are two equally scary Stephen Kings, each on their own accord.

This is why the third best guitar player of all time should sue Rep Joe Walsh to change his name as well. Defamation of character should be a good basis.

[Gormy Cuss]

26. +1

The jerknose congressman was born in 1949 and I don't see anything about military service on his bio.

[efhmc]

17. Interesting but weird question. Why the

desire to know? Just sitting around one day and the thought came to you, "Why was S. King never drafted?".

[raccoon]

33. Yeah, my thoughts in strange places do roam. Plus I just finished 11/22/63.

Will post about that on Fiction later.

[efhmc]

42. Okay, just wondering.

[justiceischeap]

18. A little Google searching goes a long way :)

"He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1970, and was rejected by the Vietnam draft board."

http://www.illiterarty.com/biography-stephen-king

"King missed the draft for Vietnam, being declared 4-F, unfit for service, for a number of reasons; perforated eardrums being one of several."
http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A577154

[redqueen]

21. Ha, I expected to see a Let Me Google That For You link.

:)

[Greybnk48]

32. I've met Stephan King face to face (which I LOVE to brag

about) and his glasses are formidable. I would imagine he would have been 4F because of his vision alone.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

37. I'd brag about it to.

I love that guy. He's a humanitarian and truly cares about people. He doesn't show off his wealth and I respect that he's not become a douche-nozzle after all of his success.

[Cairycat]

19. He is extremely myopic

To the extent that he now has macular degeneration because of his extreme near-sightedness. I can't find references, but that's been known for some time.

I don't know if that kept him from being drafted, but it would make sense.

[AngryAmish]

20. didn't he get married early?

[zbdent]

28. kind of on both the marriage and his "deferments" ... from Wikipedia ...

"From 1966, King studied English at the University of Maine, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. That same year his first daughter, Naomi Rachel, was born."

Sounds to me like he was a serious student ... and married ...

Of course, the conservative blogosphere pounced on him for some comments ...

[wickerwoman]

43. Yeah, I think he got married his sophomore year.

His wife is a bit older and was going to graduate. I think I remember reading in "On Writing" that they lived in married student housing.

I'm sure he explained the whole thing in On Writing but I read it too long ago to remember.

[TexasProgresive]

25. According to this article 3 student deferments

drew 308 in the lottery and dropped out of college.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/10/26/913836/-Steve-King,-An-Iowa-Republican-Hypocrite-Sent-To-Plague-America

[madinmaryland]

27. And why is this important to anyone. He is not running for office, the last I checked.

[The Straight Story]

29. Ya know, all this time I thought your name was Maidinmaryland

Guess I will have to change my mental imagery of you now :)

[madinmaryland]

35. You really gotta stop listening to LynneSin and DrStrange in teh Lounge!!

:D

[Dr. Strange]

39. Hush, woman!

[madinmaryland]

40. Heh! I thought you had gotten ts'ed for not publishing anymore of your

Tales of WTFery!!

:hi:

[raccoon]

38. I wish he would. Course it wouldn't help my state. nt

[kestrel91316]

30. Which Stephen King, out the hundreds or thousands of them in the US,

are you referring to?

You better not be picking on the writer. He's a good liberal.

[raccoon]

34. "He's a good liberal." I know that. nt

[No Joe]

36. Uh...

whut? :shrug:

[Zorra]

41. No not a student deferment. A different type of deferment that is none of our business.

And there is absolutely nothing nefarious here.

Going any further would be an unnecessary invasion of his privacy.