DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Donald Trump Dodged Vietnam according to Podiatrist who diagnosed him with bone spurs

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html#click=https://t.co/Xv6Q6LYcUk

Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?
The office where Dr. Larry Braunstein practiced podiatry in Jamaica, Queens. His daughters say he came to Donald J. Trump’s aid with a diagnosis of bone spurs during the Vietnam draft.
Credit
Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Image
The office where Dr. Larry Braunstein practiced podiatry in Jamaica, Queens. His daughters say he came to Donald J. Trump’s aid with a diagnosis of bone spurs during the Vietnam draft.CreditCreditDave Sanders for The New York Times
By Steve Eder
Dec. 26, 2018

In the fall of 1968, Donald J. Trump received a timely diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam.

For 50 years, the details of how the exemption came about, and who made the diagnosis, have remained a mystery, with Mr. Trump himself saying during the presidential campaign that he could not recall who had signed off on the medical documentation.

Now a possible explanation has emerged about the documentation. It involves a foot doctor in Queens who rented his office from Mr. Trump’s father, Fred C. Trump, and a suggestion that the diagnosis was granted as a courtesy to the elder Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump, center, during his senior year at the New York Military Academy. He would receive a medical exemption from the draft a few years later.
Credit
Fred R. Conrad for The New York Times

Image
Mr. Trump, center, during his senior year at the New York Military Academy. He would receive a medical exemption from the draft a few years later.CreditFred R. Conrad for The New York Times
The podiatrist, Dr. Larry Braunstein, died in 2007. But his daughters say their father often told the story of coming to the aid of a young Mr. Trump during the Vietnam War as a favor to his father.

ADVERTISEMENT


“I know it was a favor,” said one daughter, Dr. Elysa Braunstein, 56, who along with her sister, Sharon Kessel, 53, shared the family’s account for the first time publicly when contacted by The New York Times.

Elysa Braunstein said the implication from her father was that Mr. Trump did not have a disqualifying foot ailment. “But did he examine him? I don’t know,” she said.

For decades, Dr. Braunstein saw patients in a congested ground-floor office below Edgerton Apartments in Jamaica, Queens, one of dozens of buildings owned by the Trumps in the 1960s. The family sold the building in 2004, records show.

A portrait of Dr. Braunstein from his podiatry school yearbook. His daughters say he made the diagnosis as a favor to Fred C. Trump, Donald’s father.

Image

A portrait of Dr. Braunstein from his podiatry school yearbook. His daughters say he made the diagnosis as a favor to Fred C. Trump, Donald’s father.
“What he got was access to Fred Trump,” Elysa Braunstein said. “If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately. That was the small favor that he got.”

ADVERTISEMENT


No paper evidence has been found to help corroborate the version of events described by the Braunstein family, who also suggested there was some involvement by a second podiatrist, Dr. Manny Weinstein. Dr. Weinstein, who died in 1995, lived in two apartments in Brooklyn owned by Fred Trump; city directories show he moved into the first during the year Donald Trump received his exemption.

Dr. Braunstein’s daughters said their father left no medical records with the family, and a doctor who purchased his practice said he was unaware of any documents related to Mr. Trump. Most detailed government medical records related to the draft no longer exist, according to the National Archives.

In an interview with The Times in 2016, Mr. Trump said that a doctor provided “a very strong letter” about the bone spurs in his heels, which he then presented to draft officials. He said he could not remember the doctor’s name. “You are talking a lot of years,” Mr. Trump said.

The yearbook photo of Dr. Manny Weinstein, who may have also played a role in the medical exemption, according to Dr. Braunstein’s daughters.

Image

The yearbook photo of Dr. Manny Weinstein, who may have also played a role in the medical exemption, according to Dr. Braunstein’s daughters.
But he suggested he still had some paperwork related to the exemption, which he did not provide.

Mr. Trump did not mention in that interview any connection between his father and the doctor. The White House did not make Mr. Trump available for a follow-up interview and did not respond to written questions about his service record.

ADVERTISEMENT


An investigation by The Times in October showed the extent to which Fred Trump had assisted his son over the years, despite Donald Trump’s insistence to the contrary. The investigation revealed that Mr. Trump received the equivalent today of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate empire, including the equivalent of $200,000 a year by age 3.

In the 1960s, there were numerous ways to avoid military service, especially for the sons of wealthy and connected families, but Mr. Trump has said that no one pulled strings for him.

“I didn’t have power in those days,” Mr. Trump told the biographer Michael D’Antonio in a 2014 interview, according to transcripts shared with The Times. “I had no power. My father was a Brooklyn developer, so it wasn’t like today.”


Donald Trump’s Selective Service Records
For many years, Donald J. Trump asserted that it was “ultimately” a high draft lottery number that kept him out of the Vietnam War, rather than a medical condition. But his Selective Service records, obtained from the National Archives, suggest otherwise.

Dec. 26, 2018
Dr. Alec Hochstein, who worked with Dr. Braunstein in the late 1990s, said the podiatrist had recalled over dinner with their wives how the Trumps had treated him well, including backing off from rent increases. Dr. Hochstein did not remember any discussions related to Mr. Trump’s medical exemption.

ADVERTISEMENT


“He spoke very highly of the Trumps, and they were very open to negotiating with him and letting him stay in the space at a rent he was comfortable with,” Dr. Hochstein said.

Dr. Nicholas Campion, who bought Dr. Braunstein’s practice around the time that the Trumps sold the building, which was less than a mile from the Trump family home in Jamaica Estates, said Donald Trump had had a large presence in the community.

“Everybody recalls the Trump family around Jamaica Estates,” Dr. Campion said.

In recent years, the diagnosis of bone spurs has subjected Mr. Trump to ridicule from critics, who have found it implausible that a healthy and athletic 22-year-old, on the cusp of being declared fit for service, could suddenly be felled by growths in his heels. Mr. Trump’s own shifting narrative over the years about his Vietnam-era experience has added to the suspicions.


Donald Trump’s Registration Card
After his 18th birthday in June 1964, Donald J. Trump registered with the Selective Service, as did all men his age. It was the summer after his graduation from New York Military Academy and Mr. Trump recalled filling out his papers with his father, Fred C. Trump, at the local draft office on Jamaica Avenue in Queens.

Dec. 26, 2018
At the time of the diagnosis, Mr. Trump was navigating a tumultuous period for the country after he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. The United States inducted about 300,000 men into the military in 1968. At that time, a year before the draft lottery was instituted, local boards had to meet quotas and called men for service, leaving those without deferments or exemptions vulnerable.

ADVERTISEMENT


Mr. Trump had been declared available for service two years earlier and undergone a physical exam, Selective Service records show. That exam did not result in a medical exemption, but he did receive an education deferment. When officials again declared him available for service in July 1968, he had exhausted four education deferments and finished school, so it was the medical exemption that kept him from being eligible.

He has often said it was “ultimately” a high draft lottery number that spared him, but Mr. Trump had been medically exempted for more than a year before the lottery began in December 1969.

Beginning in October 1968, records show, Mr. Trump had a 1-Y classification, a temporary medical exemption, meaning that he could be considered for service only in the event of a national emergency or an official declaration of war, neither of which occurred during the conflict in Vietnam. In 1972, after the 1-Y classification was abolished, his status changed to 4-F, a permanent disqualification.

Dr. Braunstein’s office was below Edgerton Apartments, one of dozens of buildings owned by the Trumps in the 1960s. The family sold the building in 2004, records show.
Credit
Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Image

Dr. Braunstein’s office was below Edgerton Apartments, one of dozens of buildings owned by the Trumps in the 1960s. The family sold the building in 2004, records show.CreditDave Sanders for The New York Times
The Times began looking into Mr. Trump’s draft record anew when an anonymous tipster suggested that a podiatrist who was a commercial tenant of Fred Trump’s had provided the medical documentation.

ADVERTISEMENT


The tipster offered no names, but The Times used old city directories, held by the New York Public Library, and interviews with Queens podiatrists to identify Dr. Braunstein.

The doctor’s daughters said his role in Mr. Trump’s military exemption had long been the subject of discussions among relatives and friends.

“It was family lore,” said Elysa Braunstein. “It was something we would always discuss.”

She said her father was initially proud that he had helped a “famous guy” in New York real estate. But later, her father, a lifelong Democrat who had served in the Navy during World War II, grew tired of Donald Trump as he became a fixture in the tabloid gossip pages and a reality television star, she said. The daughters, both Democrats, say they are not fans of Mr. Trump.

Dr. Braunstein’s daughters said his role in Mr. Trump’s military exemption had long been the subject of discussions among relatives and friends.
Credit
Sharon Kessel

Image

Dr. Braunstein’s daughters said his role in Mr. Trump’s military exemption had long been the subject of discussions among relatives and friends.
CreditSharon Kessel
Mr. Trump has had a complicated relationship with the military, having quarreled with the likes of Senator John McCain, a prisoner of war during Vietnam; the parents of a slain soldier; and the architect of the Osama bin Laden raid, even while speaking during campaign rallies about his enthusiastic support for veterans and the armed forces. He has also been critical of people who have been less than forthright about their Vietnam records. Earlier this month, he chided Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, over misleading statements he made years ago about his own Vietnam record, calling him “Da Nang Dick” on Twitter.

ADVERTISEMENT


Dr. Braunstein’s daughters said that when he discussed Mr. Trump’s medical exemption, he often mentioned Dr. Weinstein, though it was unclear to them what role Dr. Weinstein may have played. He was close to the family, they said, and known as Uncle Manny.

The two men forged a close friendship after meeting in podiatry school in New York, from which they graduated in 1953. Dr. Weinstein was among the oldest students in the class, classmates said, and Dr. Braunstein was remembered for being among the smartest.

One possible explanation that has been raised over the years, the Braunstein sisters said, is that Dr. Weinstein had a connection to the draft, as some private practitioners did. In fact, multiple doctors would have been involved in the final determination.

Dr. Weinstein rented an apartment from Fred Trump in Brooklyn, moving in the same year that Donald Trump received the exemption.
Credit
Dave Sanders for The New York Times

Image

Dr. Weinstein rented an apartment from Fred Trump in Brooklyn, moving in the same year that Donald Trump received the exemption.CreditDave Sanders for The New York Times
Before people were inducted into the service, they underwent a physical exam overseen by military doctors, court records from that era show. Men could bring along documentation of medical concerns from private physicians. That information was presented at their exams and considered by a medical officer. Often, a civilian specialist working with the exam station would be asked to review the case and make a recommendation. A local draft board would finalize the man’s classification.

ADVERTISEMENT


Dr. Weinstein practiced podiatry in Brooklyn’s Bath Beach neighborhood, maintaining an office near another Trump building, Shore Haven Apartments. In 1968, phone books show, Dr. Weinstein moved into an apartment in Westminster Hall, a Trump-owned building. He lived in that building for many years, and later lived in another owned by the Trumps.

Dr. Weinstein had no children and never married, but some people who knew him were surprised by a possible Trump connection.

When Dr. Weinstein closed his practice in the late 1980s, he referred patients to a nearby podiatrist, Dr. Mark L. Schwartz. When contacted by The Times, Dr. Schwartz said he had never heard about a possible connection between Dr. Weinstein and the Trumps.

Of course. I had no doubts it was a ruse. Capt Bonespurs is a fraud all around. This is nothing but a blip on the fraud radar.

Wait a minute...are you trying to tell me that a trust fund coward who has spent his entire life running and ducking at the first sign of adversity lied to avoid going to war?

I’m sorry, man, I just don’t see it.

I'm shocked ! Not really and neither is anyone else I clouding the clowns who voted for and continue to support him . I'm sure 40 will spin cowardice into a virtue and\ or spit out a whataboutism ...surprise me .

40 thinks that Trump would’ve ran into the Parkland shooting unarmed to save the kids, an opinion he based on a video clip of Trump being startled by a protester at a rally, so I doubt his brain will let this information compute.

Here it is:



40 actually posted that and said “See? He looks ready to fight!”

President Trump is visiting with our troops in Iraq as you spew.

They are interrupting my soap for this crap!

Trump is turning to face his attacker as he goes into attack mode himself.

I know that scares you.

I told him not to allow that but he said the Liberal Press has half a mind of its own. Sorry.

They are interrupting my soap for this crap!

Fantastic ! Where was this publicity stunt...err..dedication when it was his time to serve his country ? Maybe I'm asking the wrong person .

When I served it was far more of a hassle than an honor to see and have a stroke session for the President or to be anywhere around . Had Thanksgiving dinner with Bush in the desert and we took two weeks to prepare for it and another week tearing down our fake sandbag city . Was cool to shake hands with Stormin Norman though .

Wait, so you admit trump only did this because he caught massive heat for not doing it without being told?

Lolololol

Actually that is pretty cool.

Did PDF ever get his sandals back?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RFH7C3vkK4

You think an out-of-shape prissy elderly man who doesn’t excercise and has never been in a fight in his life was “going into attack mode”?

Wrong Bush ! I got to meet the one who wasn't a coward , the one who was actually a real man and served the county he would eventually lead . Didn't agree with his policies all the time but he was a REAL man and a REAL leader not like the sack of excrement that holds the office now .

Whenever 40 gets flustered by people mocking his bizarre penchant for thinking wimpy creeps are some kind of tough guys, he always starts rambling about “poop” and “spew” and posts a YouTube link that he doesn’t know how to embed.

Yesterday it was an incredibly creepy video of some freak in a wig singing a song about Trump.

You just keep on posting video loops proving my point and telling us how smart you are.

40 to PDF: "So what if a guy threw his shoes at me!"

GW said he was used to "duckin' shoes 'cause his momma didn't put up with nonsense"...

Your “point” was that an out-of-shape elderly man who spends all his time whining and crying would have run into the Parkland shooting unarmed to save the children. Everyone laughed at you, so you posted a clip of him being startled by a protestor and claimed that he looked “ready to fight” and was “in attack mode”, leading everyone to laugh at you again, at which point you got flustered and posted a creepy video of a man in a wig singing about how he loves Trump.

I know you struggle with understanding basic words and phrases - are you unaware of what the term “proving a point” means?

Also, what happened to you that led you to think that soft wimps like Trump and Jordan Peterson are “real men”? What led you to see a guy who raped women in front of their children kill himself because he couldn’t face the music and think “wow, this guy is cool and tough”? Were you raised on some kind of weird commune or something that didn’t expose you to men your whole life?

Least surprising story of the year.

Millionaire real estate mogul gets doctor to state son has bone spurs to avoid Vietnam.

Yeah, honestly it’s not even something to get worked up over.

If there’s anything in the arena of military service to be dismayed over, it would be the time he tried to steal the $6 million he raised under the guise of donating to veterans’ charities.

Trump Haters acting and looking foolish once more...

New York Times tracks down anti-Trump children of deceased doctor to run uncorroborated Vietnam allegations

The New York Times tracked down the daughters of a doctor – who has been dead for over a decade – to report their claims that their dad helped now-President Trump avoid military service during the Vietnam War, despite the paper admitting it couldn’t corroborate the story.

Braunstein’s daughters “shared the family’s account for the first time publicly” for the Times piece and admitted they don’t know whether or not their father actually examined Trump.

“No paper evidence has been found to help corroborate the version of events described by the Braunstein family,” the Times wrote nine paragraphs into the piece. Buried 30 paragraphs into the feature, the Times casually mentioned that “the daughters, both Democrats, say they are not fans of Mr. Trump.”

"It's articles like this that make me doubt that the Times has any ethics left at all."

— Dan Gainor

“The New York Times is essentially indistinguishable from a gossip rag you’d find in the super market checkout line.”

— Chris Barron

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-yor...deceased-doctor


Hook, Line and Sinker- The Haters fall for this stuff every time.

Did you guys hear that someone spotted Trump tearing the tag off a new mattress at the White House?
Film at 11

The man who got tricked into sending a teenage neo-Nazi $8 is here to talk about people falling for things “hook, line and sinker”.

Seriously, though, 40- do you honesty believe that a trust fund rich kid in perfect health magically got bone spurs that conveniently went away the second he got his draft status changed?

I mean, it’s not even a big deal. Anyone who could’ve gotten a deferment probably should have. But why would you embarrass yourself by pretending that Trump *actually* had bone spurs that prevented him for military service?

Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor called it “astonishing” that the Times “is actively encouraging the family of deceased doctors to give their opinions on private medical records” for a hit piece.

“We are to believe that people who were three or six [years old] at the time somehow know Trump's detailed medical history. I'm surprised the paper didn't arrange a séance and quiz the late doctor, too,” Gainor told Fox News.

Do you seriously think that Trump had bone spurs in his feet that prevented him from military service that magically went away the second he got a deferment?

I know that you’re incredibly gullible, but, c’mon, dude.

I know people Suffering From Trump Unacceptance & Resistance Disorder (TURD).

I know the Haters are incredibly gullible and will grab at anything that is anti Trump, even if its a laughable story like this one with zero documentation.

I see Hate.
Trump smells your fear.

Damn 40. How does it feel getting your ass handed to you? Do you need a deferment card to get out of this thread?

Not even in your wildest dreams.

Why don't you go back to starting more threads with misleading or outright false titles?

Once again, when you’re best known for sending a teenage neo-Nazi $8 because you got tricked into thinking that Donald Trump stopped a mugging, it’s kind of hard to call other people “gullible”.

And for some reason, you keep ducking a simple question. It’s almost like you know how dumb it would sound if you said that you actually believed that Trump had bone spurs that magically went away once he got a deferment.

What exactly is “laughable” at the notion that Donald Trump - a spineless wimp who’s spent his entire life ducking and running at the first sign of adversity- used his father’s connections to get a deferment.

What sounds more laughable to you - a rich coward using connections to get a deferment, or a rich coward getting bone spurs that magically healed as soon as he was given a deferment?

It would be awesome if the 'all knowing' poster on here could figure out the very simple quote feature.

And since 99.9% of your posts are denigrating and bringing up others past posts in an attempt to belittle them.........perhaps turnabout would be fair? Or not?


"Remember when......" starts most of your posts.

Don't deflect from the fact you fell for this FAKE NEWS story, hook line and sinker while the masses laugh.

No, it’s definitely true.

Any time people start laughing at you because you think an out-of-shape wimpy guy with the skin of a Florida divorcee and a horrible wig is some kind of tough guy, you get real fussy and start talking about poop or posting creepy YouTube videos of freaks singing songs about Trump.

Man, it’s really weird that you keep avoiding the question.

I’ll ask a fifth time - do you seriously believe that a rich kid in perfect health developed sudden bone spurs that magically went away once he got a deferment, yes or no?

Who are you kidding? You don't come here to discuss, you come here to throw insults.

Go Away.

PDF really beat your brains in so bad that you forgot you're the fake news king!

Better get that Doctors note!

Do you seriously believe that a rich kid in perfect health developed sudden bone spurs that magically went away once he got a deferment, yes or no?

I can’t figure out for the life of me why you keep refusing to answer such a simple question. It’s almost like you know that saying “yes” is laughably ridiculous and embarrassing.

So is that a refusal to answer the question posed to you 6 times ? Or is it 7 ?

On second thought nevermind . I hate seeing anyone even you being abused in such a way although it is amusing watching you squirm like a worm .