I was in the midst of my final year at UK with graduation coming in May. The war was escalating and yet there was very little anti-war sentiment on the campus at that time, much different from places like Madison, Wisconsin. Nonetheless, I was quite anxious, but rather than sitting around the fraternity house waiting for "my number" to be called, a number of us went to the men’s basketball game that night. Each of us left our birth date with those staying behind. During the course of the game, thoughts drifted back to the house and those keeping track. Upon entering the house, one of the brothers handed us a sheet of paper with each date and draft lottery number. With much anxiety I scanned the list and found that my number was 330. I was quite relieved, but that was offset by those whose number was much lower. The first call I made was to my fiancee’, now my wife for the past 42 years. Needless to say, she was over joyed. I graduated in May and went on to spend 35 years in the soft drink industry.
War is a terrible thing, but had I been drafted I would have served my country without looking back. Those who did serve in the Vietnam war were never truly honored for their service and sacrifice. I thank God for them.