Between 1940 and 1945, according to the Internet Movie Database, John Wayne's movies included seven about war: Dark Command, The Long Voyage Home, Flying Tigers, The Fighting Seabees, Back to Battaan, Reunion in France, and They Were Expendable. How did he film these movies while World War II raged on? The answer is that although he dutifully registered for service (as Marion Mitchell Morrison), Wayne received a 3-A deferment for "family dependency," says Den of Geek. As a father and sole provider for his family, Wayne wanted to "do a few more movies" before entering the service. And there is little doubt that he wanted to keep his name fresh in Hollywood, too. He did, however, expect to eventually go to war.
But John Wayne never ended up serving in the Second World War. In 1942, Congress revised the Selective Service Act to defer all married men until further notice, according to World War 2.0. "We want the unmarried men taken first," said Senator Joshua B. Lee, explaining that "the family is the fundamental unit of organized society." Dependency deferments, according to Encyclopedia.com, "enjoyed especially strong support." Although Congress would agree and disagree throughout the war, Wayne remained immune from service. Magellan Times claimed that this annoyed his friend, John Ford, greatly — to the extent that during the filming of They Were Expendable in 1945, he barked, "Duke, can't you manage a salute that at least looks like you've been in the service?" Wayne allegedly stormed off the set.
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