I was a Senior at UNC-Chapel Hill and scheduled to graduate in May 1970. I was engaged and hoping to be married soon after graduation. MY LOTTERY NUMBER WAS 69. So it was pretty obvious I was going to get drafted. Not something I was interested in doing. I am patriotic and love my country but going off to a war in Southeast Asia to get my butt shot at was not something that I had an interest in doing. So–I put my name on every waiting list I could for Reserves and National Guard units. They all had VERY LONG lists. I started my last semester in January 1970. Shortly after the semester started, I received a call from a Medical Hospital Reserve Unit in Durham NC. They wanted me to come. I asked if I could wait until the end of school in May and enlist then. They told me I could pass but my name would go to the bottom of the list. OFF I WENT. I dropped out of school, headed for Fort Polk LA for Basic Training and then to Fort Sam Houston for Medical Training. It was quite an experience, to say the least. Many of the others in my unit were just like me but also many were draftees and headed for Vietnam. In late August, I completed my active training, got married in September (and have been marrried to the same woman since then), returned to school and graduated in January 1971. I did spend the next 6 years doing monthly weekend duty at various hospitals, mainly at Womack in Fort Bragg, NC and two week summer duty at various posts. It was a tumultuous time for college students and on all college campuses. In fact, the semester I left, UNC called a moritorium on classes for the remainder of the semester. Many students stopped attending classes to join the protest over the war. If I had to do it over again, I would do the same thing.
