I was in my third year at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and was perched with 30 others friends in front of the TV to watch the draft number picks. The mood was almost that of a party as we all thought we were invincible and unable to be drafted into the army from school. When the announcer started to explain the way the draft was to take place and how the numbers would be read once and then again at the end, the room became hushed! Then the numbers began—everyone was tuned into the TV. One by one, as the early number were read there were hushed curses and slamming of fists against anything firm-floors, walls, desks, other people’s arms. Each of us sighed as the numbers continued to go up the scale without hearing our number read. My friend Scott and I were sitting together glued to the TV but watching each other as the dreaded message came across the screen-you had an early number and could be taken from the safety of the college atmosphere and put into an army to fight a war you didn’t truly believe in. Scott and and I were talking, and of course we missed our numbers. When they got into the mid 320’s we were partying and laughing, until we realized we missed the reason we were there. We had to sit through the number reading again until we found out that my number was 178 and Scott’s was 236. The mind started guessing how high one would have to be to be spared the draft. We also started our planning of leaving the country and living in Canada-planning a life on the run! We were frightened, mad, scared at the unknown and depressed at the prospect of having to leave the US. So we did the next best thing we could think of-we drank, partied and skipped classes the next two days.
Neither of us came in the number range of getting drafted, but scared we were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neither of us came in the number range of getting drafted, but scared we were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!