What medical conditions qualified a young man for Vietnam draft deferment in 1968?
Executive summary
Medical and non‑medical deferments in 1968 let large numbers of young men avoid immediate induction: student (II‑S) and hardship/paternity (III‑A) deferments were widely used, while a range of medical conditions—from asthma and flat feet to bone spurs, ulcers, hepatitis and certain spinal problems—could produce 1‑Y or 4‑F classifications that postponed or excused service [1] [2] [3] [4]. Local draft boards and physicians exercised broad discretion in granting medical exemptions, making application uneven and sometimes subject to inequality and abuse [3] [5].
1. How the draft system classified “fit” and “deferred” men
Selective Service divided registrants into availability classes and specific deferment categories: college students commonly received II‑S student deferments; fathers or sole family supporters could get III‑A “hardship” deferments; and medical exams produced classifications such as 1‑A (available), 1‑Y (available only in emergency) or 4‑F (unfit) depending on conditions found [1] [2]. These categories governed who got called up in 1968, when induction rates were high and local boards wielded significant discretion [2].
2. Medical conditions that routinely qualified for deferment
Contemporary reporting and historical summaries list several medical conditions that could produce a disqualifying or limiting classification: chronic asthma, flat feet, major dental problems, ulcers, gastritis, hepatitis, anemia, diabetes and certain spinal or orthopedic conditions (examples include spondylolysis and bone spurs) [4] [6] [7]. Public accounts of high‑profile cases cite bone spurs in the heels as the basis for a deferment in 1968 [7] [5]. Academic and journalistic sources confirm asthma and other chronic illnesses were accepted grounds for a 1‑Y or 4‑F classification in many cases [8] [3].
3. The role of physicians and local draft boards—discretion and inequality
Medical deferments were not purely medical determinations: local draft boards reviewed physicals and could accept or reject physicians’ findings, and men with means or connections sometimes secured sympathetic doctors or favorable reviews [3]. Histories of the era emphasize that wealth, influence and access to private doctors advantaged some registrants seeking medical exemptions, while others with similar conditions were inducted [3].
4. Non‑medical routes that reduced draft risk in 1968
Beyond health, the biggest protective factor in 1968 was student status: II‑S deferments for full‑time college students were widely used and became politically contentious as the war escalated [1] [9]. Hardship (III‑A) deferments for fathers or sole family supporters also rose in that period, and the evidence shows fertility and family formation sometimes responded to the availability of III‑A relief [1]. Clergy, some medical students and other narrowly defined categories also qualified [2].
5. How classifications changed over time and why 1968 mattered
By 1968 escalation of U.S. troop levels made induction more likely for 1‑A men, intensifying competition for deferments and scrutiny of claims; this drove both legal deferment applications and informal evasion strategies [1] [10]. The system remained patchwork: when demand for recruits rose, boards tightened standards; when demand eased, some conditions that had once disqualified registrants were scrutinized differently [2].
6. Competing perspectives in the historical record
Scholars and journalists agree on the main categories (medical, student, hardship) but differ on interpretation: some sources emphasize legitimate medical ineligibility (asthma, spinal defects) while others stress manipulation of medical findings and socioeconomic bias in who obtained exemptions [8] [3]. Historical reviews document both genuine disqualifications and cases that later drew criticism as convenient or politically charged [5] [11].
7. Limitations of available sources and unanswered details
Available sources enumerate commonly accepted medical grounds and describe the system’s discretionary character, but they do not provide an exhaustive, official 1968 checklist of every accepted condition or the precise rubric local boards applied in each state (available sources do not mention an exhaustive 1968 official list). Case studies (e.g., bone spurs, asthma, spondylolysis) illustrate the types of findings that mattered, but practices varied widely by board and moment [7] [6] [4].
Bottom line: In 1968 a mix of documented medical diagnoses—chronic respiratory disease, orthopedic and spinal problems, certain chronic gastrointestinal or hematologic illnesses—and powerful non‑medical deferments (student and hardship) were the primary legitimate routes to avoid immediate service; the system’s discretionary application, however, made outcomes dependent on doctors, local boards and social advantage [2] [3] [1].