Thomas, Rhode Island, 1971. No. 003: Mother Knows Best

I just graduated high school  in June, 1971 and in August I watched my number come up on the TV screen. At first I didn’t know if # 3 was good or bad! It wasn’t long. Within a week I received my first notice in the mail. Then I knew it was for real....

John, Illinois, 1972. No. 003: What Might Have Been

I remember I was sitting at the kitchen table with my Mom listening to the numbers being called on the radio. I was in college at the time, but we did not have student deferments in that time period. I was the 12th of 13 children,  the youngest of 6 boys. My...

Paul, Canal Zone, 1971. No. 248: More than I deserve

I went to college in the fall of 1970, and got a student deferment from the draft.  Stupidly, I dropped some courses, not realizing that at the end of the school year I wouldn’t have enough credits to sustain my deferment.  I was part of the lottery in...

Steve, North Carolina: No Step Forward

By my mid-teens I knew what a conscientious objector was, and I knew I was one.  I’d always attended Quaker schools, and fully accepted the belief that God is found in every person. Participating in killing other people was unacceptable.I started college in...