Editing Mo Udall (section)

==Military service==
Udall attempted to enlist in the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]] during [[World War II]], and almost succeeded by covering his glass eye each time he was told to alternate during the eye exam. After he was medically cleared, another potential enlistee complained that he had been medically rejected for flat feet, while Udall had passed with one eye. The examiners retested Udall under closer scrutiny, and he was rejected. Later, medical standards changed and Udall served in the Army.<ref name="this_fella_from_arizona_1981_11_audubon" /> He joined the Army Air Forces as a private in 1942 and later received his commission as an officer. He commanded an [[Military history of African Americans#World War II|all-black squadron]] for two years in [[Louisiana]], an experience of which Udall later said, "That really shaped my life," because he had "fought their fights with them... over local discrimination." Udall later served in the [[South Pacific Ocean|South Pacific]] and achieved the rank of [[Captain (United States O-3)|captain]] before being discharged in 1946.<ref name="obit_1998_12_14_new_york_times" />