Did you know Michael Douglas lied twice to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War? The actor, who recently released his memoir, ‘One Helluva Ride,’ recalled what it was like when men between the ages of 18 and 26 were being drafted for the war and how he avoided it twice due to a spondylitis diagnosis.
Michael Douglas on how he got out of getting drafted for the Vietnam War
In one of the excerpts of Douglas’ memoir, the actor recalled that at the time of the war, he had been a part of the rebellion that was on the opposition side. At the time, he was in college, strongly against the war and did not wish to be drafted. “I did not want to fight in a war I was protesting, and I did everything I could to avoid being drafted. I don’t think young people today understand what a huge role the draft played in the decisions we made at the time. It seemed like everybody was getting drafted and everyone else was trying to figure out what they could do to get out of it,” he wrote, talking about the time his lottery number was finally drawn.However, there was a ray of hope for the star. In the book, he recalled that at the time of his physical, he was diagnosed with spondylitis, adding, “which in my case meant I was missing a portion of my vertebrae and there was a curvature of my spine.” Douglas further shared, “This was good news—the doctor gave me a letter about my condition that I could show draft officers. The bad news was the letter had adjectives like ‘mild’ and ‘slight.’”
How Michael Douglas’ father helped him out
This is where his father, Kirk Douglas, came in. He shared, “While I was protesting Vietnam, Dad was in the middle of a five-year run as goodwill ambassador, touring the world to promote American exceptionalism. I was protesting a country he was celebrating. My father was ultimately a very patriotic guy, and I was at a college that was celebrating rebellion.”However, the two still had a shared respect for each other, and when he reached out, his father was ready to help him out. In his memoir, the 82-year-old admitted that his father was an influential person who sent a letter to the doctor who diagnosed him, urging him to send a letter without the specifications. Not only that, but for more effect, he wore a white brace at his examination the second time his name was called in the lottery.He elaborated, “I showed him (the sergeant who was in charge of his exam) the paper, and he said, ‘Take off that brace.’ I said, ‘I cannot, sir.’ ‘What do you mean?’ he demanded. I told him I would fall if I did. They gave me a 1-Y designation, which meant I was only to be called if the nation was facing a dire emergency.”He then concluded his story by adding, “I’m not proud of this story. I am just being honest.”Michael Douglas has since stepped back from the entertainment industry, expressing that he will only be making a comeback in projects that he feels are worth it. He was last seen on screen in ‘Looking Through Water,’ which was released in 2025; however, it was filmed two years prior, around 2023.
