The 60s were a politically tempestuous time across the world. The youth were harboring anger against the elders, governments were prosecuting and oppressing particular demographics. And in all, ideals and opportunities were guiding the culture of the world in an unprecedented direction. In the United States, one of the main events that contributed to all of these factors was the Vietnam War. However, one person who wanted no part of it was The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.
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Bruce Springsteen was 19 years old when the Army drafted him for the Vietnam War. Though like many other Americans of the time, Springsteen was incredibly reluctant to give his life over to a cause he was so incredibly disillusioned by. That being said, Springsteen wanted to dodge the draft and continue pursuing his dream of becoming a singer/songwriter.
He successfully dodged the draft. However, he didn’t do so by crafting a scheme or by simply fleeing the country. Rather, an accident from his past caught up with him in the best possible way, as it exempted him from military service and let him stay home in the States.
How a Motorcycle Accident Kept Bruce Springsteen at Home
After Springsteen dodged the service, he sat down with Rolling Stone in 1984 to divulge exactly how he did it.
“I got a 4-F,” he told the publication. “I had a brain concussion from a motorcycle accident when I was seventeen. Plus, I did the basic Sixties rag, you know: fillin’ out the forms all crazy, not takin’ the tests.”
“When I was nineteen, I wasn’t ready to be that generous with my life,” he continued. “I was called for induction, and when I got on the bus to go take my physical, I thought one thing: ‘I ain’t going.’”
Springsteen was lucky to have dodged the draft, and he knows this. However, this chance at life came with a caveat, a caveat full of guilt and remorse. As a matter of fact, it was these sentiments that led Springsteen to write and record one of his greatest songs, “Born In The USA”.
The single is a tribute to his friends and all the young men who had the courage that Springsteen did not. So, even though Bruce Springsteen didn’t pay with his body, he paid with his soul. Springsteen knows his actions might seem cowardly to some, but he’s lived with that fact and tried to make amends for it by releasing a quintessential American anthem.
Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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