I missed the early calling of the numbers when I met up with my friends, arriving around No. 50. No one remembered which ones had been called unless it was theirs. On the repeat go-around I got mine and it was as if we were in mourning.
The first thought was how to get out of the draft. Going to Canada was not an option. I moved the physicals back and forth between Wisconsin and New York until the draft board gave me the option for one more move but I had to agree not the request another one.
I did some other research and found out that if I had braces, it was deferrable for 6 months. I needed them anyway and so I went to a dentist who put them on. Naturally, we never discussed the draft. He told me I was on something like a four year plan for total correction. I got a two year deferment, and figured after the two years I would go back for another deferment since they were not coming off by then. I recommended the same dentist to a friend (who really did not need braces) and he would not put them on him. The draft was stopped before the end of the two year deferment. I finally got the braces off right before I got married.