My college grades were below the 2.00 GPA required to maintain a student deferment in 1966. A friend of the family who sat on the local Draft Board told my mother that I was almost guaranteed to be drafted. I figured that if I got into ROTC, it would allow me to finish college and then get a commission. I also figured that since no US war (other than the Revolution) had lasted longer than 4 years, that Viet Nam would be over by the time I graduated.
I completed ROTC and graduated in December 1969. I was commissioned into the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. In September 1971, I found myself in Viet Nam anyway as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Airborne Division’s Medical Battalion. While I was there, I earned Vietnamese Parachutist wings, the Combat Medic’s Badge, and a Bronze Star among other awards.
I went on to complete 27 years of Active Duty and retired as a Colonel. Going into ROTC and making a career of the Army was probably the smartest, or luckiest decision I have ever made. It has been a most enjoyable and enlightening life full of travel and experiences. I also served in the First Gulf War also known as Desert Storm.