My lottery number of 174 was too low to feel safe about being drafted, but high enough to hope for the best, depending on any escalation in the war. My II-S deferment was good until 1972, when I would graduate. As luck would have it, that year the concept of "second priority" was established. This allowed anyone willing to give up their deferment and go I-A for a year to gain the privilege of having to have all 366 numbers called and then get to their lottery number a second time before becoming eligible. Because this was the first year the option was offered, dropping the deferment for any portion of the calendar year counted. As a result, I was able to drop my deferment over Christmas break, knowing I would not be called by the end of the month, and gained second priority status in January. This allowed me to remain in graduate school at UCLA, attain my teaching credential, and continue on my career path in education.
