Wade, North Carolina, 1969. No. 314: 30 Years In The Classroom

I had about a year left in college before graduation when the lottery took place.  My degree was to be in secondary education and it was my hope that I would be teaching in a high school somewhere in NC.  I remember watching the lottery on television and...

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...