In 1970, I was living in Naismith Hall on the top floor with other KU graduate students. I was already enrolled in the NROTC program, so I was not going to be drafted no matter what my lottery number turned out to be. It was 104. I did not even know my number until looking it up recently. I did hang out just to see how my friends would fare from the results. Many already had work positions lined up with the defense industry so they were not going to get drafted either. As I recall, the NROTC Battalion Commander’s number was either 365 or near this number. He had already made up his mind to serve many years before, and also was a Navy scholarship holder.
I was commissioned in May, 1971, and my orders were to serve as an instructor (Ass’t Prof) at Annapolis, thanks to my NROTC Navigation Instructor for strongly suggesting, and helping me draft the active duty request, and Captain Marzluff, USN signing the request to the Superintendent.
As it turned out, after completing my 3-year obligated service, I continued serving another 20 years, and now have a pension, small, but I am very happy, and feel more accomplished for having performed military service.
This year, I submitted my retirement papers after serving a total of 43 years in Federal service. My KU experience helped realize and learn the possibilities, and my interests.