Michigan author Eli Greenbaum presents his new book, a firsthand account of men who were driven to resist or dodge the Vietnam draft at all costs.

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About the Book

As long as there have been wars, there has been conscription. And conscription has never been popular.

When asked in a Gallup poll taken in August 1965 whether the US decision to send troops to Vietnam was a mistake, sixty percent of Americans polled said no. But as American casualties increased and the war escalated, polls showed fewer Americans supporting US actions in Vietnam. That, however, did not stop the drafting of Americans into military service. Later, when the leaked Pentagon Papers revealed that the United States had misled Congress and the American public about the extent of US involvement in Vietnam through lies and the withholding of information, support was driven further downward. Today, the Vietnam War is regarded as the most unpopular war of the twentieth century.

In Hell, No, We Didn't Go Eli Greenbaum presents firsthand accounts of men who were driven to resist or dodge the Vietnam draft at all costs. He introduces readers to a cross section of individuals who found ways to defy the draft by leaving the country, going to prison, becoming conscientious objectors, gaming the system, conspiring to fail physicals, and even enlisting--anything to avoid being drafted. These vivid essays and candid oral histories detail events that were often controversial, sometimes volatile, and almost always emotionally charged. Greenbaum brings together a chorus of first-person accounts of draft resistance and protest, held together by an overarching personal narrative, while providing context, commentary, and an unusual fifty-year perspective on the men's decisions to avoid the Vietnam War no matter what.

While some men passively accepted conscription as their fate, others actively resisted it, sometimes going to extremes. Each account reveals individual motivations, fears, and hopes--everything from disagreement with American foreign policy to questions of cowardice and the meaning of patriotism, all underlined by courage and determination.

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About the Author:

Eli Greenbaum is an attorney, former advertising agency creative director, and the author of several published short stories and articles, including the award-winning Leo’s Dilemma.

Eli was raised in Detroit and attended Wayne State University where he earned a bachelor’s and a Juris Doctor degree. Eli has worked at a number of ad agencies in the area and taught advertising copywriting at Wayne and Michigan State University. He is a member of the Michigan and California state bar associations.

He has also authored a copywriting textbook, a how-to book for children about drawing cars, an adult humor/coloring book, and ghostwritten a business book for a New York Times best-selling author. Eli’s creative work has been recognized with numerous advertising awards including Clios, Caddies, and Addies.