BROWSE STORIES

I was drafted on March 18, 1971, two weeks before I graduated from high school. I was 18. I went to the recruiter office in Portland Oregon and asked if they could wait until I graduated before I went to get killed. They said yes. But then my brother-in-law who had...

I graduated from High School in 1967. After graduation I registered for the draft and qualified for a college student deferment. I kept up my student deferment through the first 2 years of Community College and then transferred to the University of South Florida. I...

Throughout my college years I enjoyed a college deferment,  until graduating and losing my deferment in 1969, before the lottery in December of that year. This made me subject to the draft--my eventual high lottery number did not yet apply.  So I...

In 1969 I was an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. I had served in the U.S. Air Force from 1960-1964.  My classification was "non-obligated". In 1965 I joined the Air Force Reserve and served at Richards-Gebaurs AFB, MO. I...

In 1969 I transferred to KU as a junior and lived in Ellsworth Hall.  We had a great group of guys on my floor and the lottery was a big deal that all of us viewed with trepidation. As that first lottery night approached the tension mounted--all of us concerned...

The only reason I was going to school at Texas Tech was because of the Vietnam War. I had a student deferment and as long as I stayed in school and made my grades, for the immediate future at least, I couldn't be "called up." I didn't know what to do with my...

All the brothers were gathered in the basement of the Sigma Nu house for the drawing. There were moans and cheers going on all night. Many got low birth dates and rushed out to join the National Guard the next day. I for one got a fairly high number abd...

Out of high school in 1968. Drafted into the Army 1970. Sent to Vietnam 1970. 15 months in-country, discharged. Welcomed back at the Chicago Airport in 1971 by protesters yelling "baby killer". Muscle problems at the age of 63 due to Agent Orange exposure....

My fraternity brothers and I listened to the first lottery on the radio.  The reception was so poor, I had to listen to the recap to finally hear what number I was. I thought I had missed it. The people with low numbers left that night for Wichita, Topeka or...

Sometime before the lottery I made a sarcastic comment that I would automatically draw No. 1 since my birhtday is July 4th.  In fact, I only watched maybe the first 120 numbers being called, then I went to my room to study.  One of my roommates got number...

I thought I was against the war (it was the popular position). When I drew lottery number 63, it seemed like Canada was in my future. But there was this girl named Judy, and I loved her, and she was not interested in Canada.Then Rocky (friend of Judy's) and...

In 1969 I was a fourth year student in pharmacy school at the University of Kansas.  Pharmacy school was a five year program and I was draft deferred. A friend of mine was in dental school (also deferred).  He spoke highly of the advantages of being a...

I didn't know the 1969 lottery was announced on TV or the radio.  The next day we all went to a friend's house and got the Atlanta Jounal to search for our birthdays.  When I got to the 300th birthday listed, I thought I must have missed my birthday of April...

I was an undergraduate at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, pursuing a degree in English and recently married. I had been opposed to the Vietnam War since 1965 and had participated in protests at KU. When I heard about the proposed lottery, I told my wife...

I enrolled at Kansas University in the fall of 1966 from a small town in southwest Kansas.  The Viet Nam war was on and there were occasional protests on campus in the late 60s.  On the day the lottery numbers were announced, all of us in the Sigma Nu...

We listened to the lottery on the radio in a study room of the frat house. I remember holding my breath each time they called a number. I got really nervous when the first number called was Sept 14. My birth date was Sept. 28. Then two more September numbers were...

I had just returned to my fraternity house after a KU basketball game. The lottery numbers were being announced on the radio. As the numbers were drawn the mood changed dramatically as those with low numbers realized their lives were immediately changed. Girlfriends...

I was 19 years old when my number (44) was drawn in the 1971 lottery (June 19th). I was called to duty in July 1972, having turned 20 by then. I had been married about 18 months and had a little boy about the same age. I went to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO for my basic...

Throughout my early years at K.U., I knew that mandatory military service was an issue I would need to address eventually.  I was not shying away from it, but it was just easier to postpone it until after graduation. My student deferment would expire in June...

After the Selective Service called up 30 lottery numbers in each month for January, February, and March of 1970, I felt like the lottery was just another government joke to get the public (mainly those of us of military age) off their backs...a postponing...

My roommate Pete and I decided we didn’t want to listen to the lottery that night; instead we would wait for the numbers to be published the next morning.  When I awoke the next day I found Pete in the bathroom holding up a green shirt, blue shirt and white...

It was my Junior year at the University of Kansas. The Vietnam War raged on, both abroad and at home. Overseas, my high school classmates, college fraternity brothers, and college classmates fought and were injured or killed in a conflict that, to this day, honestly...

In 1969 I was a sophomore at KU, and my older brother was a senior, my younger brother a freshman.  We had all been opposed to the Vietnam War since at least 1964, and had many dinner table conversations about it, finally even convincing our World War II Navy...

I was a junior at the University of Kansas when the draft lottery was introduced. While I don't remember my number exactly, I know it was in the 300's. I was a reporter at the University Daily Kansan (UDK), and worked the night of the Lottery. This was well...

I remember I was at KU and on the draft night I wanted to go to the KU basketball game--I did not miss a game. When I came back afterwards, I was told my number was 20, which was a real jolt for me because I knew with that number, I would be drafted. And it seemed...

I was at a Kansas-Wisconsin basketball game at the U. of Kansas the night of the lottery. One of the cheerleaders announced, "September 14, you're number 1." When I got back to my apartment, I called my parents, and my tearful mother informed me that I had a...

I remember watching the draft on TV in New York City. I'm not sure if I was at home or at college that day, but to me it was academic as I was in college with a student deferment until 1972.I graduated high school in 1967 and was considered an outcast as I was...

I didn't know it at the time, but having a low lottery number would enable me to meet and marry the most wonderful woman ever. I was a senior at the University of Kansas majoring in electrical engineering when my number of 39 was drawn.  I thought, oh xxxx!...

It was the year of the first lottery. I recall sitting around the television room at my fraternity house, drinking beer, and watching our futures unfold. Kind of scary. My number was fairly high but I felt badly for those in the room who had a low number drawn....

The lottery really didn't affect me personally.  By the time the first number was being drawn, I had been in Vietnam for a little over 3 months.  I was with the 3rd Marines in I Corps, and had been running patrols and night ambushes all that time.Here's the...

I found out my number from the TV in my dorm lobby. (McCollum Hall). My number might have been high enough to keep me out but my home county (Doniphan) had a small population.I enlisted in the Navy to avoid the Army and spent the next four years in California and...

As I recall, KU had a home basketball game that night.  I and one of my roommates went to the game; the other stayed home to watch the drawing.  When we returned it was obvious the roommate who had stayed home had been drinking.  I said something to the...

     In December 1969 I was a married, fourth-year graduate student in chemistry at the University of Kansas when I drew No. 11 in the draft lottery. I had successfully completed the requirements for a Ph.D. and was in the process of...

In October 1969 I decided I would finish that semester, then drop out of college and bartender for awhile. I wanted to take a break. I was skinny, had flat feet and thought I would never qualify for service. The night of the lottery everyone was watching. My...

I was studying electrical engineering at the University of Kanas, which was a 4 1/2 year program.  We had to convince my draft board to give me the final 6 months draft deferment to finish the degree. I had been notified earlier in the year that I would...

My experience with the draft began in 1964. That year, like many men, I asked for a four year college deferment. Since my degree was Architecture and it was a five year program, I was not sure what would happen at the end of year four. I then had to beg for the...

I was lottery number 193.  At the time of the drawing I was a senior at the University of Kansas and was going to graduate in May of 1970.  I felt sure I would be drafted as soon as I graduated.  I'm 6'4" tall and weighed about 250 and all my...

At the time I received my draft lottery notification, I decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force for four years.  I majored in Journalism (Radio-TV-Film) at KU and received my B.S. degree in 1970.  The Air Force needed broadcast journalists at that time, so I...

The lottery was pretty scary on the campus of the University of Kansas, and a lot of the fear of getting a low draft number was masked by gallows humor.  One fraternity had a "you bet your life" drawing.  Each member put in $5.00 and the one with...

Mine was a paradoxical story.  Although I drew a low number, I had a I-Y classification at the time due to a congenital back condition.  Later when I was accepted to medical school I again became draft eligible.  Most of my medical school...

I was a senior at the University of Kansas. Oh, yes! I remember well the night of the first draft lottery in 1969. First of all, I was enjoying the company of a beautiful, young woman, Donna, to whom I later proposed and married. We decided to lay in bed and enjoy...

I happen to have kept my draft card. Dated 6-20-67, and signed by Mildred E Walters. My selective service number was 14 68 49 ***, and I was classified II-S. I came across it, for the first time in 40-some years, just last week.  Luckily for me, my date of birth...

I graduated from the University of Kansas in January, 1970 with a degree in Music Education. In those days we came back to school for a couple of weeks after Christmas break, had finals, and then the semester was over. February 1, 1970 my wife and I purchased a music...

I was among the fortunate sons who received a draft deferral or exemption simply because I was able to attend college. That privileged status continued through medical school and into residency. Nonetheless, on that fateful (for some) night, we crowded in to watch the...

My lottery number was called in my last month of eligibility, and I received an induction notice during my first year of law school at Boston College.  I notified my Selective Service Office, which gave me a deferment to the end of the school...

I had one quarter of school left to complete my degree requirements.  In August of 1969 a busload of potential draftees, self included, had been bussed to Denver AAFES (Army Air Force Examining Station) for our pre-induction physical. I passed with flying...

I started college in 1963 (age 18) at SUNY Stony Brook New York and continued for 5 semesters before joining the Marine Corps. I expected to serve 2 years then return and complete my engineering degree. We all knew that service of some kind was bound to occur sooner...

I was a senior at Eastern Illinois University. I was in the trailer of a fraternity brother, six-pack of beer in hand. My number came up 48. I signed up for the delayed entry program -decided on schooling for air traffic controller - but my father, a retired Army Lt...

I was living in Annapolis, Md. In October 1969 I turned 19. In November 1969 I took and passed my pre-induction physical in Baltimore. In December 1969 my birthday got No. 087 in the lottery. Then I heard nothing more for all of 1970. My family moved to...

My memory is clear regarding that day in 1969.  We were all huddled on the front porch of our fraternity house in Athens, Georgia with our radio tuned to 960 AM, WRFC.  Our friend, Don Cox, was on the air as the wire services were releasing the birth dates...