A popular belief during the Vietnam War was that you
could avoid being inducted by tattooing something obscene like “Fuck the Army”
on your saluting hand.
Support (Columbia
Draft Information Service, Columbia, S.C.), April 1969, p. 4.
Don
Strachan, “ ‘How to’ – the draft and you.” Los Angeles Free Press, vol.
6, issue #255, 6 June 1969, p. 36. “Melvin Lard tattooed ‘Fuck the Army’ on the
back of his hand.”
Ben Dover (sic), “fuck you, sir,” Good Times (San Francisco), vol. 2, no. 40, 16 October 1969, p. 17.
Anon., “F.T.A!” [column], The Ally (Berkeley, CA), no. 23, Jan-Feb. 1970, p. 4. “A
long-haired, bearded surfer, classified I-A, went to the induction center at
Oakland, Calif., a few days ago and flunked his physical. On the outside of his
right hand – the saluting one – he had tattooed FUCK THE ARMY.”
The Obligore (New York City), no. 6, April 1970, p. 2.
A monthly newsletter published by Marine reservists. “A long-haired, bearded
young surfer from the Peninsula, classified 1-A, went to the Oakland Induction
Center for his physical a few days ago, and flunked handily, literally. On the
outside edge of his right hand – the saluting one – he had tattooed: “F---- the
Army.”"
Frank Forster, A
Doctor’s Guide to the Draft (New York: Lancer Books, 1970), 134-5. “I must
conclude, ludicrous though it seems, that should you have a tattoo made on the
back of your left hand reading “Agnew is a prick” or on your right “Fuck the
army” – especially should the latter extend along the inner border of your hand
so as to be obvious when you salute an officer – you would be excluded from the
draft.”
Playboy, May 1970, p. 26.
PLAYBOY AFTER HOURS
Herb Caen reported this
neat trick for avoiding the draft in his San
Francisco Chronicle column: A long-haired, bearded Californian, classified
I-A, went to the Oakland
Induction Center
and flunked handily. On the back of his right hand -- the saluting one -- he
had tattooed: FUCK THE ARMY.
Rolling Stone, 1 October 1970, p. 39.
Tattoo Renaissance
BY AMIE HILL
Every once in a while, [San Francisco tattooist Lyle
Tuttle] says, he receives a request for one of those "obscene"
tattoos, the "Fuck You" or "Fuck the Army" on the saluting
hand which popular fiction says will get you out of the draft. Lyle invariably
refuses, not from any excess of hawkish sentiment, but because authorities
would just love to bust him and his fellow artists for aiding and abetting a
draft-dodger.
“Letters.” Fifth
Estate (Detroit), vol. 5, no. 15, Nov. 26-Dec.9, 1970, p. 23.
Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Book (Grove Press,
1971), 192 (photo), 194.
Practice a good story before you go for the physical
with someone who has already beat the system. […] If you can't think of
anything you can always get FUCK ARMY tattooed on the outside of the baby
finger of your right hand and give the tough sergeant a snappy salute and a
hearty "yes sir!"
Sherry Gershon Gottlieb, Hell No, We Won’t Go! Resisting the Draft During the Vietnam War.
New York: Viking, 1991, 77.
Robert Pollock, Good
Luck, Mr Gorsky (Auckland, New Zealand: Reed, 1999), p. 33.
A man received his draft notice, but didn't want to
fight. He went to a tattoo parlour and had 'Fuck the army' tattooed on the side
of his hand, so that it would be visible when he saluted. It didn't work. They
just put him the navy instead. [From Usenet 1997]
