Monday, 1 December 1969 – How could I ever forget that date as I turned 19 that very day. I was hoping that the draw would be at twelve noon which I figured would make me not technically eligible. BUT, it had to be during primetime.
I knew I was guaranteed the opportunity to enter the military as I had just been kicked out of college for academics with no chance of college deferment. Besides, my draft board was anxious for candidate quotas. Shortly after turning eighteen, I was already screened and classified I-A.
I accepted fate, but one of my college roommates fared otherwise. His previous year dorm room chum had just bought the bullet in Vietnam three months earlier. Needless to say, he flipped out drawing No. 55. The rest of us spent the night chasing down a totally-naked dude throughout the east side of St. Cloud.
A year later, out of the four platoons graduating from AIT, three were slotted for Nam and the random fourth (mine) went to Korea. After two Christmases in Korea, I had the fortunate luck for my next assignment to return to the very Draft Station that processed me at eighteen. Fulfilling my military obligation, I got out and finished my college.
Twelve years later I re-entered military service in the Army Reserve. Twenty-five years later with participation both in OIF and OEF, I have to hang up my boots, unfortunately, maxing out at the age of sixty.