As of January 1969, I was re-classified from II-S to I-A, was notified for my draft physical, and passed the physical. I was expecting a draft notice at any time. I was very much opposed to the war (I was a political science major at UCLA, which gives you some idea of my political bent at the time), and was contemplating going to Canada. I also had the opportuntiy of joining the National Guard. Instead of either of those choices, I decided to appeal my re-classification. In August 1969, the appeal was heard, and my draft board decided to give me back my II-S deferment until June 1970 at which time I would be drafted. My recollection is that it was about one or two months after that that the first lottery was held. I had heard a rumor that because of insufficient mixing of the lottery numbers, people born in the first part of the year received disproportionately higher numbers than those born late in the year. I beat the odds, because I was born in December, but still got a high number–304.
