After a series of draft deferments in the Vietnam era and passing one physical examination for the service, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was classified 4-F as he was entering Yale Law School in the fall of 1971.
Thomas received the 4-F classification - meaning not qualified for military service - on Nov. 23, 1971, after a physical examination Sept. 8 disqualified him for service, according to the Selective Service System.The Selective Service System no longer keeps records documenting reasons for the classification, said Lew Brodsky, assistant director for public affairs.
But he said the "most likely" reason for the classification would be a physical problem. Historically, he said, about 50 percent of draftees called for the induction physical exam were rejected.
Thomas did not respond to questions this week about his military draft status. Mary Wall, Thomas' secretary, said he was not responding to questions from the press.
Some friends recalled that Thomas had been an athlete in high school and college. But Richard Wieler, a former colleague in the Missouri Attorney General's Office, said he remembered Thomas having recurring problems with his legs during the mid-1970s.