Roger, North Carolina, 1969. No. 126: Paying My Way Through

While my draft number was not particularly high, I was destined to be a public school teacher anyway.  In 1969 there was a teacher shortage and deferments were given.  I was momentarily reclassified 1-A after my first year as a teacher, but the school...

Nick, Colorado, 1969. No. 363: Bad Timing

My lottery story is really not a lottery story at all, but one of irony and bad timing. My birthday came up No. 363, so it would seem that I was not going to be drafted. Technically, that is true. The technicality is that I had entered active duty in the US Army...

Robin, Hong Kong, 1969. No. 037: No Animosity

When the lottery was announced, I was in Hong Kong, where I had gone to high school and where I had registered for the SSS at the U.S. Consulate and was appointed to Local Board 100 (Foreign). I was working as a photographer, my first job out of UNC. I was pretty busy...

Jim, NC, 1969. No. 183: The Ultimate Gamble

What I remember about that time was that the law seemed to change every year.  When I started at UNC in 1965, being in school was all you needed for an exemption.  Later in ’66 or ’67 I recall going to Greensboro to take a written exam to allow...

John, Massachusetts, 1969. War Lessons

I arrived at Carolina in January ’68 after serving in Vietnam from April ’66 to May of ’67 as a Marine foot soldier. The transition from Vietnam and the Marines to Chapel Hill was surreal. People were friendly and I was glad to be a student. When...