Were doctors who were drafted in the 1950/1960 years, compelled to take an officer's oath of allegiance?

Question

Anyone who's ever watched M*A*S*H, knows that many of the doctors there, didn't want to be there, and had been drafted. Then I recently ran across this (non-official) article, which says

Officers on the other hand can’t be drafted. An officer must take the oath freely and without reservation – under penalty of law. If it turns out you, as an officer, are unable to well and faithfully execute the duties of your office because you have mental reservations which you kept concealed at the time of your oath, then depending on the circumstances you’re likely to face resigning your commission or sitting in front of a court martial on your way to prison.

And the creator of M*A*S*H talked about his experiences being drafted, and how he came to create M*A*S*H, but doesn't say what the process was.

Doing various research, I've turned up various interesting items, but none that precisely answered the question. For instance, at one point (possibly the Vietnam war?) doctors who had part of their medical-school costs paid for by the U.S. government, were eligible to be called up - not quite a draft, since they presumably agreed to the payments.

It's also possible that the Oath of Office that officers took, was different earlier - I found one reference to it "taking its current form in 1959", and don't know what the earlier form was. I also found references to an Oath of Service as an alternative oath, but in the context of non-U.S. citizens.

So what was the situation, then? The doctors were clearly officers, not enlisted (who can be drafted). Were they required to take an oath "freely, and without reservation"? Or no oath of any kind? Everything I can think of, is problematic in one way or another.

Answer 1

Taken from the Yale Medicine magazine:

The reasons physicians serve in the military or soldiers go into medicine are as varied as the individuals who take these paths. For some, the armed forces offer a way to finance their medical education; for others the choice reflects a desire to serve their country. Still others were obligated in the past to serve as a result of the doctors’ draft, which, from 1950 to 1973, required male physicians and other health care providers to serve in the military.

So, many had their training paid for by the military, putting them (at least) into the reserves for later call up.

On the Doctors' Draft, Defense Media Network has:

Like the other organizations within the military, when the war started in June 1950, the medical departments were short of everything. The most acute shortage was with doctors, particularly specialists. A doctor draft was instituted in August 1950, and the first medical draftees arrived in Korea in January 1951. By the following year, 90 percent of the doctors stationed in Korea were draftees.

So, yes, there was a specific draft for doctors as well through the Korean War and into the early 1970's. Also note the statistic given that 90% of doctors in Korea were drafted.

From the York Dispatch comes some more details:

These medical professionals were part of Priority Group Three, and if the government called them up, they would be required to fill out Form 390 with their training and experience. Based on this form, a commission would be offered.

The doctor then had to make a choice. If he accepted the commission, he could choose his branch of service and also would receive $100 extra a month. Those who accepted were inducted by age with the youngest being inducted first.

If the doctor turned down the commission, he would be inducted just like civilian registrants.

So, yes, even if drafted through the Doctor draft you could refuse being commissioned as an officer.

One thing to note is that, for many people in the 1950's, even if they didn't want to be there, that did not mean they were opposed to taking the oath and serving. One can voluntarily take the officer's oath without having volunteered in the first place.

Answer 2

No, but they were compelled to serve in the military. The American Association of Immunologists describes one recently graduated doctor's experience:

... In April of 1954, [Dr. Fitch] applied for and received a U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) fellowship to study pathology at the University of Chicago. Shortly after arriving in Chicago that June, however, he received a letter from the McDonough (IL) County Selective Service Board informing him that the end of his internship also brought the end of his military deferment. Fitch now faced a decision.

Waiting for his number to be drawn virtually assured being drafted as a private into the U.S. Army and potentially serving as a combat medic were war to break out. Alternatively, Fitch could apply for a commission in a branch of the military offering the potential for involvement in some research. He chose the latter and applied for, and received, a commission in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to enter service later that year with the rank of First Lieutenant.

In this case, as in others, there was no literal compulsion to take an oath, but failing to take the oath would risk being conscripted as an army medic. Accepting a commission gave the young doctor a number of benefits, especially as Dr. Fitch's training was in pathology, not trauma.

Answer 3

Only naturalized citizens take "Oaths of Allegiance" as part of gaining citizenship.

Military officers take "Oaths of Office", and enlisted take "Oaths of Enlistment" - the only difference is that officers swear loyalty to the Constitution while enlisted also swear obedience to the chain-of-command. Since a pre-requisite to become an commissioned officer is US citizenship, an Oath of Allegiance is unnecessary.

One is an oath of loyalty to the Constitution, and by consequence the country. The other is an oath to do the same, but as part of an instrument of the government set forth in the Constitution. Not coincidentally, all federal employees take an oath of office.