Bob, Virginia, 1969. No. 355: Motorcycle Lottery

I was in the infamous 1969 lottery during my first senior year at NC State.  My birth month was January and I ended up with a very high lottery number. But in the spring of 1967 I had signed the Army ROTC contract, so my draft lottery number didn’t matter....

Sherman, Illinois, 1969. No. 215: Never Forget That Night

Will never forget that night. I was at a small college in Iowa. Everyone, at least the 19 year olds, had ears glued to the radio, eyes to the tv. After the drawing, after the cheers, after the smashed tvs and radios, the bars were full; either you were...

Michael, North Carolina, 1969. No. 161: Quite A Ride

How did the draft lottery affect the choices I made in my life? Wow!Well, rather than graduate in Nuclear Engineering as planned in May, 1970, get married on June 6 and move to Charleston, SC, to live, raise a family and work at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, I...

Bobby, North Carolina, 1969: Pondering The Possibilities

The first lottery was held during my senior year in college.  My number was called in April, although I knew much earlier that it would be called before I graduated.  As with all seniors, I was in the process of interviewing for jobs.  The year before...

Glenn, California, 1969. No. 263: Pharmacy School

Basically, I was lucky not to be drafted during this time. If I had been born a day earlier (No. 184) or later (No. 71) I would have been drafted. Upon entering UCLA in 1967, I went to the Selective Service Board and received a student deferment. For the first two...