I was at the University of Pennsylvania in my final year when the lottery
occurred. I remember I was No. 11. I applied to Naval OCS. (Actually I
accidentally got in line for the aviation program–the line was much shorter).
I also sought out a slot in the Army Reserve program, where you served 6
months of basic training and then, I think, 6 years of weekend warrior with 2
weeks every year of "summer camp." I got into both the reserves and
OCS.
I opted for Reserves and enrolled in UGA School of Law School. I was a
public information Buck Private. I could type and that saved me. After two
years in the reserves I never got into basic training because there was such a
demand for public information folks in the regular army that the slots for
that training never opened up for a reservist. Also I had suffered a serious
neck injury at age 15. When I took the physical for the naval officer program
I passed. Later I took the physical again because my neck had
worsened. This time I flunked the physical and was given an honorable
discharge.
public information Buck Private. I could type and that saved me. After two
years in the reserves I never got into basic training because there was such a
demand for public information folks in the regular army that the slots for
that training never opened up for a reservist. Also I had suffered a serious
neck injury at age 15. When I took the physical for the naval officer program
I passed. Later I took the physical again because my neck had
worsened. This time I flunked the physical and was given an honorable
discharge.
Then the draft board classified me as I-A (ready for war). I went down to
the draft board and showed them my honorable discharge papers. They then
reclassified me as I-Y which meant I could be drafted despite my neck, if the
U.S. was in a true war, i.e., war declared by Congress and then approved by the
President. They refused to classify me as IV-F which would have been a
permanent exemption. Vietnam was never a declared War, just a Police Action,
so I was never called up. Made Law Review at UGA and never looked
back.
the draft board and showed them my honorable discharge papers. They then
reclassified me as I-Y which meant I could be drafted despite my neck, if the
U.S. was in a true war, i.e., war declared by Congress and then approved by the
President. They refused to classify me as IV-F which would have been a
permanent exemption. Vietnam was never a declared War, just a Police Action,
so I was never called up. Made Law Review at UGA and never looked
back.