Sunday, April 19, 1942. Ronald Reagan called into service.

Today in World War II History—April 19, 1942: Future president Lt. Ronald Reagan, a reserve cavalry officer, is called to active duty; he will serve in the Army Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit.

So notes Sarah Sundin in her blog.

Is it worth noting? 

Probably yes.  Service in support units, is support, and support units are a larger element of the U.S. military than combat units, in spite of what people read about and like to imagine.

And as much as we like to imagine that everyone joined in the war effort, and all the military age men served, that's not true.  Most did, but you can find famous examples of those who did not.

Reagan's service, as noted in the entry, predated the Second World War.  He'd joined the Army Reserve, which at that time was principally limited to training officers, and which did not have very many enlisted men, where he was trained as a cavalry officer.

Of some interest, if we go back to the Second World War itself, President Roosevelt had no military service, but was Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Great War.  Indeed, none of the Presidents who served between the wars had military service in their histories, although from Theodore Roosevelt back every President had some sort of military service, except for five of them.

Harry Truman had served in World War One, and following him every President until Jimmy Carter had served in  World War Two.  Carter had not, but he was a Cold War veteran of the U.S. Navy and in fact a graduate of the Naval Academy.  Reagan and Bush I were the last two veterans to occupy the White House who were veterans of World War Two.  George W. Bush was the last President who was a veteran, in his case having served in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.  Neither Trump nor Biden have any military service, in spite of being of draft age during their youths.  Trump received a controversial medical disqualification from conscription, and Biden received a series of deferments until receiving a medical disqualification as well.