I was already in medical school at the time of the draft lottery, having entered in the fall of 1968. There was a special "Doctor Draft" that drafted all doctors after one year of internship into the military as General Medical Officers. Introduction to war training for four weeks then straight to Vietnam. The law expired June 30, 1969, the day my internship ended, so all in my intern year were drafted unless we had made other plans. Under the Berry plan, we could complete residency first, then enter the army as a specialist, or enter the US Public Health Service, in Indian Health, Prison, or Coast Guard. I entered the Indian Health Service–great experiences that changed my life. My wife and I planned to go to Canada if the IHS had not accepted me.
