...Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment)... ...Wayne's secretary recalled making inquiries of military officials on behalf of his interest in enlisting...
...He repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit...
...Republic Studios was emphatically resistant to losing Wayne, especially after the loss of Gene Autry to the army. Correspondence between Wayne and Herbert J. Yates (the head of Republic) indicates that Yates threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract...