The Truth of John Wayne's WWII Military Exemption

Above, John Wayne with the troops in Viet Nam.

There have been many detractors questioning John Wayne's exemption from military service during World War II.

The official John Wayne Facebook page has posted the following to set the record straight:

Though many questioned John Wayne’s exemption from military service during World War II, the decision was not entirely his fault. Duke was classified as 3-A (family deferment) due to his age (34) and family status at the time of Pearl Harbor. Despite this, he repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit, but Ford continually postponed it until after one more film.

Wayne did not try to prevent his reclassification to 1-A (draft eligible), but Republic Pictures, where he was under contract, fought hard to keep him. President Herbert J. Yates even threatened Duke with a lawsuit if he left, and Republic intervened with the Selective Service to request his deferment.

During the war, John Wayne dedicated his time to supporting the troops, serving Thanksgiving dinners at the Hollywood Canteen, touring with the USO in the South Pacific, and portraying the American soldier with dignity and courage. After Christmas 1942, he began a three-month USO tour across Australia, New Britain, and New Guinea.

Decades later, Duke continued to visit troops on the frontlines, including in Vietnam, where he spent time with soldiers in the trenches. It was a way for him to engage with everyday soldiers on a personal level, offering morale and support during an active conflict.

 

Do You Know Your State’s Sales Tax Exemption Status?

Above, the National Money Show in Phoenix this year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the things that irritate coin and precious metals collectors and investors is that some states levy sales taxes on those purchases.

A handful of states have enacted exemptions. Unfortunately, my state of New Mexico is not one of them. 

Do you know your state's sale tax exemption status?

That question is posed in an article from Numismatic News.

It begins with:

This past week, a new major coin show debuted in Nashville, Tenn. – the International Money Expo. The impetus to create this convention was the state’s adoption last year of a sales and use tax exemption on retail sales of precious metals, bullion, coins, and currency.

The show was well promoted within the numismatic industry. It included a dealer and early bird-only trading day on Thursday, a public convention on Friday and Saturday, and then another dealer and early bird trading day on Sunday.

The dealer trading room last Thursday (Oct. 26) was crowded and active, although many of the dealers with tables were only set up to buy and not to sell inventory. Dealer set-up in the convention hall began late Thursday, which continued to be busy.

Decent activity on the convention floor continued for much of Friday (Oct. 27). But, as is common at major shows, some dealers began to depart as the day went on. There were even more empty dealer tables on Saturday.

While dealer-to-dealer trading was active, there was relatively limited public attendance at this show. For most of the day Saturday, activity at dealer booths was minimal. In my mind, part of the reason for relatively light public attendance was that a high percentage of Tennessee residents do not yet realize that the state has adopted the sales and use tax exemption for precious metals, bullion, coins, and currency.

Next year, public attendance could be much larger if more promotional efforts make sure to mention the existence of the sales and use tax exemption. 

Earlier this year, I attended the National Money Show in Phoenix, Arizona. Fortunately, I knew ahead of time that Arizona has a tax exemption on coins. 

To read more, go here.