Why Seinfeld’s Kramer is a Vietnam Combat Veteran with PTSD who served in Military Intelligence or Special Forces

During the episode “The Strongbox” it is revealed that Kramer had served in the Army. When Jerry asks about this, Kramer claims that he served “briefly.” Jerry follows up by asking how long he served, and Kramer responds that’s classified.[i] Being that a duration of time in service is not a classifiable item, it stands to reason that Kramer is likely using the term broadly and referring to the fact that his assignments — dates and locations, are classified.

Kramer’s propensity to live a life full of enjoyment, individualism, and oft absurd antics, reflect a similar character trait in veterans who had experienced combat in war. Having faced death and destruction, their response to survival is often to live life to the fullest. This is something Kramer is known for throughout the show as he is always up to various hijinks and leading a promiscuous lifestyle.

Additionally, Kramer is jumpy. In every episode when someone appears into the scene you see Kramer jump as if he is spooked and startled. This hyper arousal response is quite common in veterans with PTSD. Additionally, Kramer’s use of his last name only is another indicator of his notable military service. It is not until well into the series that we find out his first name is Cosmo.

Kramer is known to live mysteriously without a job. In one episode George Costanza asks how he pays for anything, Kramer mysteriously replies, “I get by.”[ii] A perfect explanation of this, would be that he survives on VA monthly compensation. A set amount of money that frees Kramer from having to worry about money too much, while also never having too much money. In episode “The Shoes,” Seinfeld notes that that Kramer had a windfall of funds come to him.[iii]

However, we see that his mother Babs is unlikely the type of person who would have come from a wealthy family, being that “she used to be a matron in the women’s restroom at a restaurant” and even battled addiction to drugs and alcohol.[iv] Therefore, it is unlikely that the large sum of money was inherited. Instead, it makes sense that the large sum of money would have come as a disability severance pay or backlogged VA payments for compensation.

Kramer is an expert in disguise. Some of his most well-known personas are H. E. Pennypacker, Dr. Martin van Nostrand, and Peter van Nostrand. Utilizing these alias Kramer poses as a wealthy businessman, a doctor and even an actor.[v] Kramer does not hesitate to take on aliases with little prompt. This second nature ability to operate with cover further adds to the nature of his classified work. It is most likely that his time in the service was in Intelligence or Special Operations.

Kramer’s service would have been during the Vietnam War. Kramer is the oldest of the main characters. It is assumed he was around 40 years old when the show began.[vi] The characters all play the age roughly of the actor playing them. Kramer’s character was played by Michael Richards who was born in 1949.[vii] Michael Richards in fact was drafted into the Army as a medic in 1970 and was “stationed in West Germany before being honorably discharged.”[viii] It stands to reason that Kramer would have been at the proper age for being drafted at the same time if they are the same age.

In the episode “The Barber” Kramer reveals that he never completed High School but earned his GED. In the episode “The Letter” Kramer reveals that ran away from home at age 17 which would match with dropping out of High School. However, Kramer also reveals in the same episode, that at 17 he stowed away aboard a steamer bound for Sweden.[ix] This is a bit more complicated. It indicated either Kramer was fleeing from the draft to Sweden but then upon likely a forced return to the US was drafted, or that Kramer dropped out, got his GED and voluntarily joined the Army. The story of the steamer ship to Sweden may be the cover story Kramer uses for his deploying to Vietnam. Kramer would have been 17 years old around 1966. Kramer’s actor was drafted in 1970, so we have a rough window of 4 years where Kramer likely joined the Army and served at least one tour in Vietnam.

The key here, is defining what Kramer means when he says “briefly.” It stands to reason that if he served on classified missions, and only had a GED, that he likely served at least a few years in uniform, if not several. His progression into classified operations would require him to be in for a while as he only had a GED and was not college educated.

It should also be noted that Kramer is highly angered by the nickname “Hipster Doofus” that was given to him in the episode “The Handicap Spot.” Kramer likely is not a fan of being called a hipster as it likely reminds him of the reception of veterans returning from Vietnam at the peak anti-war timeframe. Moreover, his mother Babs comes across as a hippie archetype, and this would further explain why Kramer and his mother were so estranged. The peak of the anti-war 1968, but it continued into the early 1970s. This timeline indicated Kramer probably served began his service from between 1967 and 1970 and exited his service after at least 2 years. The average service commitment was two years at the time.[x]

Finally, there was an episode that was never filmed because it was viewed as too provocative. The episode involved Elaine acquiring a handgun. Richards, who played Kramer, was concerned that his character would be open about arming Elaine, though in a later interview he stated “although, why not? I think Kramer could justify the use of a weapon.”[xi] This story indicates Kramer felt comfortable with weapons and had likely used a weapon in the past.

Piecing all of this together, it is clear that Kramer served in Vietnam and was involved in classified operations in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The experience left Kramer with PTSD and enough that he probably received a 100% disability rating to live on. We know he held a job in 1985 at H&H bagels, and a lifeguard at some point before that. So, there was probably a lengthy period where he struggled with his return to civilian life, and likely at some point after 1985 received his full VA disability with backpay. The fact that he still holds on to his discharge paperwork and does not reveal classified information, is indicative of a veteran who was proud of his service though a victim of the trauma.

[i] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697791/trivia

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer#Employment

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shoes_(Seinfeld)

[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Seinfeld_characters#babskramer

[v] https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer

[vi] https://screenrant.com/jerry-seinfeld-season-1-9-age-how-old/

[vii] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0724245/

[viii] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697791/trivia

[ix] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer

[x] https://www.quora.com/How-long-was-Marine-enlistment-in-the-Vietnam-War-if-you-were-not-drafted?share=1

[xi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld_(season_2)#Unfilmed_episode