The Way Back Machine

[MossRoad]

Moss,
Aren't you the member with the crazy brother-in-law? Was that him?
Sorry if I'm thinking of someone else.

No. This was the one with the electrical engineering degree from Purdue and masters in electrical engineering from Notre Dame. He's 7 years older than me (they're divorced now).

The one your thinking of is my wife's younger brother. And he's not crazy, he's goofy, like my wife's younger sister. Totally socially unacceptable.

Although, I have to say, he's mellowing out. He occasionally helps his mom without being coerced now, and he's always been nice to our kids. He helps his mother in-law if needed now, too. So there's hope.

 

[bigtiller]

My number was 61. I flunked the pre-induction physical because of high blood pressure, possibly from worrying about the future for my new family and me. I had a very pregnant wife the day of the physical.

On edit.. bad memory

 

[Doofy]

My number was 68. I flunked the pre-induction physical because of high blood pressure, possibly from worrying about the future for my new family and me. I had a very pregnant wife the day of the physical.

That would certainly raise your blood pressure!

 

[bdhsfz6]

My number was 12. Seeing returning vets spit upon and harassed by protesters affected me more than the war itself.

 

[Oaktree]

My number was 68. I flunked the pre-induction physical because of high blood pressure, possibly from worrying about the future for my new family and me. I had a very pregnant wife the day of the physical.

Mine was in the low 100s, low enough to be guaranteed to be called. Like you, I flunked the physical though in my case it was eyesight (very near sighted, and what came as a surprise to me-colorblind). You know those old tests where you had to make out a number in a circle of dots? I was 1 for 50 on that test! Never knew it, it's not like I see the world in black & white. I have the more common red-green colorblindness, and do have trouble with some shades of both colors...they look more brown to me. (Obligatory tractor content, I can, however tell the difference between a JD and a MF. )

Apparently my eye doctor confirmed it...got my 1-Y classification (updated to 4F a year or so later) in the mail.

It was in the middle of the winter, early 1970 I had my physical. The building we had to report to was not well-heated, so there were 100 or so of us running around in our skivvies in a 50° building.

 

[JPRambo]

There are numerous stories about non-citizens with green cards being drafted.

My wife was a 'non citizen' when she enlisted in California. But it was the day before I enlisted in New York. April 21st, 1975. Of course the conflict was coming to an end. She received her citizenship while in the Army.

 

[Doughknob]

Go it! The engine probably went faster in a Mustang. My mother had one in a Galaxy.

In the early 80s I had a 64 1/2 Red Mustang 4 speed. I did like that car. It was not the fastest thing but was certainly fun. At around the same time I had a 68 Firebird 400. THAT thing was a BEAST! It was geared low; I could chirp the tires in 4th gear.

 

[Doughknob]

My number was 12. Seeing returning vets spit upon and harassed by protesters affected me more than the war itself.

I never got that - people blaming the soldiers. I have Always placed the blame squarely on political leaders!

 

[newbury]

My number was 120. I was in Burlington, Vt at UVM.
Got told to go report to the draft board for the bus ride to Albany. It was winter of '73, didn't want to go but it was my obligation.
Prepared for the trip with all night going away parties with friends. Had 2 close friends that had all ready made the round trip to 'Nam, coming back in coffins.
Woke up the day before the trip and the draft board called, Nixon stopped the draft. More parties.
Ended up enlisting anyways on MY terms and spent ~37 years at Ft. Belvoir in the Corps of Engineers, 3 years enlisted, the rest as a civilian scientist, except when deployed. When I deployed to Tuzla to support the Mine Action Center they put me in uniform and gave me the rank of Lt. Col.
What a strange world.

 

[bigtiller]

My number was 120. I was in Burlington, Vt at UVM.
Got told to go report to the draft board for the bus ride to Albany. It was winter of '73, didn't want to go but it was my obligation.
Prepared for the trip with all night going away parties with friends. Had 2 close friends that had all ready made the round trip to 'Nam, coming back in coffins.
Woke up the day before the trip and the draft board called, Nixon stopped the draft. More parties.
Ended up enlisting anyways on MY terms and spent ~37 years at Ft. Belvoir in the Corps of Engineers, 3 years enlisted, the rest as a civilian scientist, except when deployed. When I deployed to Tuzla to support the Mine Action Center they put me in uniform and gave me the rank of Lt. Col.
What a strange world.

Oh ya, January 27, 1973 ...I remember it well. We partied also.

 

[RoyJackson]

Don't know my draft number, but on 05 May, 1969 I got my "Greetings! You are hereby ordered..." letter.
Enlisted in the Navy the following day...
Stayed in the Navy (active duty) until 1979...then 3-4 years of active Navy Reserve after that...
Don't regret a bit of it

 

[NHBX]

My draft lottery number was 289. Who can say what common product of the time was known by that same number?

Also Cobra, Tiger and Griffith.
My draft number was 320

 

[orezok]

I don’t remember what my number was but in about 67 my college deferment expired. My number came up that indicated that I would be drafted. Went to the Air Force recruiter and signed up so that I could choose my job.

Went for my physical and I was rejected for bad hearing. Best result I had from my racing career starting in my teens.

Of course now if an atomic bomb went off 5 miles away I would be asking WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?

 

[Rebeldad1]

I don’t remember what my number was but in about 67 my college deferment expired. My number came up that indicated that I would be drafted. Went to the Air Force recruiter and signed up so that I could choose my job.

Went for my physical and I was rejected for bad hearing. Best result I had from my racing career starting in my teens.

Of course now if an atomic bomb went off 5 miles away I would be asking WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?

ironic....
i went in in 1967 with A+ hearing. left with a hearing disability...

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I was the last year of the lottery, 1975, drew a 360 something. Not that it mattered by then.

A guy who went and joined the Navy had to be careful to get an MOS in writing.

My older brother graduated in 1968. His buddy Dewight, got a draft notice for the Marine Corps. Ended up in front of a judge for draft evasion. got asked if he was a conscientious objector. Dewight told him no, he just wasn’t going to be a Marine. Judge gave him 24-hours to show up with enlistment papers.

Joined the Navy, four year hitch. Time enough for two tours of south east Asia, as a Navy Corpsman. Didn’t make it back from the second one. When he was home, just before the second one, he told my Dad that he probably should have just gone in the Marines. The odds were better, and they got to have rifles.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

So as I recall, the phone was ringing off the hook sometime before noon
on a day in February, 1972. I woke.
My head was pounding like the base drum in a parade.
I thought, oh crap, what is going on?
I was the only one home at my parents house and no one else was gonna get it.
"Hello" I said. My headhurt, my stomache was talking dirty to me and I had to pee.
"Ron, what was my number?" It was my friend Bob.
"What?" I said.
The room shifted a little under my feet and I tried to figure things out.
"What number did they draw for me?", He said.
It started to dawn on me.
The draft lottery was last night.
"I don't know." I said. "Hey I'll call you right back."
"No, I'll be right over" he said and hung up.

I started to sort things out.
We had heard about a draft lottery party for the night of the drawing.
The 1972 drawing was for those born in 1953. The drinking age was now 18
instead of 21. The drawing was on tv but it was not fast enough to keep up with
our alcohol intake. It was a blur. Guys were saying that they were going to the
Air Force recruiter in the morning. Guys were saying they'd go into the Navy instead.
Guys were thinking about Canada. Last night was not in clear focus for me.

I peed, brushed my teeth and grabbed a couple aspirin.
I got a large glass of coke and a handfull of Oreo cookies.
When you are 18 you can eat like that.
It was the age of gas allocation, wage and price controls, and
hippies and hard-hats.

Bob showed up with bloodshot eyes and a funny color to him.
We decided to get a paper.

We didn't know that the war was gonna wind down.

We found that we both had numbers that were not going to be reached.

That was 50 years ago.

I enlisted in September of '67, just shy of 55 years ago.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I just want someone to explain what 50k Americans died FOR in Vietnam, where the US Constitution gives the government the right to conscript citizens and force them to fight in another country’s civil war, and why we should ever again trust any president that says to our kids “You need to go and fight and die in a foreign land.”

The US would be a stronger, richer country if those 50k had stayed home, raised children and grandchildren and contributed for 5 or 6 more decades to making this country a better place.

The US had a propaganda streak going, that no country had ever voted for communism. Eisenhower double crossed Ho Chi Minh and blocked national elections because he didn't want to break the streak. The Vietnamese objected.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I just want someone to explain what 50k Americans died FOR in Vietnam, where the US Constitution gives the government the right to conscript citizens and force them to fight in another country’s civil war, and why we should ever again trust any president that says to our kids “You need to go and fight and die in a foreign land.”

The US would be a stronger, richer country if those 50k had stayed home, raised children and grandchildren and contributed for 5 or 6 more decades to making this country a better place.

I am 78 in a couple of weeks and, being British, will be forever grateful to those young Americans (and others of course) who gave their lives when I was just past a year old. Also those who died elsewhere in WW11 and those who lived to tell the tale.

All wars since then where the US has been involved create the same wonderment in me as Vietnam does to you. Why did your politicians decide to do it?

Same thing in the UK of course, why did Bliar lie to the UK people about ****** Hussein? What a mess that turned out to be.

 

[bigtiller]

Don't know my draft number, but on 05 May, 1969 I got my "Greetings! You are hereby ordered..." letter.
Enlisted in the Navy the following day...
Stayed in the Navy (active duty) until 1979...then 3-4 years of active Navy Reserve after that...
Don't regret a bit of it

For anyone who forgot their draft number, here is a link to that information. It's pretty simple to use.

Vietnam Draft Lottery Data

www.randomservices.org