Although there was not much funny about the Vietnam war, this true story of how puppetry may have saved a man's life may serve to amuse. For those of you too young to remember, during the Vietnam war there was a mandatory military draft in the United States. In those days, upon reaching the age of 18, all young men had to register for the draft, and report to the draft board for a physical and mental exam to determine their suitability to serve in Vietnam. Tens of thousands of young men who went to Vietnam did not return. That, plus the questionable morality of the war made it a very undesirable prospect for some young men who were given no choice in the matter. One such young man found himself in the situation of appearing before the draft board and being asked about his current occupation. He replied that he was a puppeteer. What is a puppeteer? In attempted to explain this unusual profession to the questioning officer, the young man enthusiastically began to demonstrate by acting out a part of his current show, using only his bare hands as he had no puppets, and delivering dialogue in the various character voices. After the interview he went home to await the letter than would tell him his fate. When it finally came he was both relieved and somewhat insulted to find that he had been categorized 4F. It appeared that his attempts to demonstrate his puppetry profession for the officers had led them to the conclusion that he was of questionable mental state, and thus unsuitable for service in the military.
Michael