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Thursday, April 14, 2022

Mizer's Bio Page

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.

 

3 comments:

  1. 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.

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    Replies
    1. You're correct about a General Discharge being a black mark back then, but at least it did not preclude burial in a National Cemetery.

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  2. Actually, then you could join at 17 with parental permission.

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