John, California, 1969. No. 245: The Conscription Nightmare

Making it into the last-to-be-called third of the 366 dates, albeit literally just barely, was a huge relief for me and my girlfriend (now my wife of 35 years), and it allowed me to stop worrying about contingency plans. During the Iraq war, my wife and I...

Harvey, California, 1969. No. 250: Numbers You Remember

It’s funny the numbers that you remember in life. Your social security number, your first phone number growing up. I even remember my brother’s Air Force ID #.  And, I will always remember being 250 in the draft.I was a sophmore at Los Angeles City...

Paul, California, 1969. No. 364: Intense Partying

I was a sophomore at UCLA in 1969 when the first draft lottery was held.  I lived with three other guys in an apartment just off campus in an area known as the student ghetto (remember, this is the Westwood Village part of LA, so take ghetto with a grain of...

Howard, Wisconsin, 1969. Didn't Look No Different

It changed my life.  I had bad eyesight, enough to fail the reserves but not the draft.  I decided not to chance the lottery and wanted to get into the reserves but I had no "connections".  I had been to Israel in ’67 and volunteered to...

Mike, North Carolina, 1969. No. 85: Kerouac's Blueprint

I was a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill when the ‘69 draft lottery was held. Like many of my classmates, I’d made the transition from a clean-cut freshman from Winston-Salem to a long-haired war protester, complete with bellbottom jeans and a peace sign belt...

Bill, California, 1969. No. 319: Year Of Confusion

I entered the US Military Academy on 3 July 1967 and was separated from the Corps on 11 June 1968, after having been admitted to UCLA. I still have a hard time explaining why I left, and it remains one of two significant regrets in my life. It seemed like a good idea...