Bob Mizer provided a somewhat more detailed than usual bio page for Mad Dog, expressing surprise that he didn't have tattoos, but remarking on "bullet holes." What I find surprising is that Mizer didn't know about or mention the fact that Mad Dog had been in the U.S. Navy for six months in late 1972 and early '73. I looked up his service dates, and he would have been 17 when he enlisted, so he may have lied about his age and been given a general discharge when they found out. Although I wasn't able to access his full service record, I'm sure that he didn't get a dishonorable discharge because of where he ended up in the very last post of today's series.
It’s not uncommon for underage teens to join the military to get away from hostile/abusive homes. Most of the time, these kids got away with their underage service , either by parental consent or being model soldiers. Mad Dog appears to have been 16 when he joined and was a behavioral problem (brawling). This would usually trigger a background check which is grounds for dismissal (general discharge). Back in the day, a General Discharge was considered as bad as a dishonorable discharge, which would have made him virtually unemployable.
ReplyDeleteYou're correct about a General Discharge being a black mark back then, but at least it did not preclude burial in a National Cemetery.
DeleteActually, then you could join at 17 with parental permission.
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