I had a date the night of the lottery and we went to the Beechwood Cinema for a show. We left after the movie was over and went to a friend’s apartment close by. All there were watching the lottery drawing with bated breath! Eventually everyone but me had breathed a sigh of relief because ALL of their numbers were 250 and above; however, I never saw my birthday come up.
We did not catch the drawing of the early numbers as the lottey coverage began before we got to the apartment. In recap, I learned I was No. 58. I called my Dad and asked him what I should do. He told me I had a spot reserved for me in the Georgia Army National Guard the day that I graduated from UGA.
I spent 6 years in the Guard serving my country. Our Battalion of Combat Engineers was on the verge of being activated when the war started winding down.