by | Mar 29, 2009 | Stories
On the eve of the first lottery, I sat in the fraternity house, terrified along with most of the brothers. I was a soph and a determined anti-war demonstator. As each number was called, each of us feared the worst. The media was speculating that the first third would...
by | Mar 27, 2009 | Stories
I had joined the Navy ROTC at UCLA because I needed a source of income. I had the opportunity to receive a full scholarship if I signed the paperwork which would commit me to serve four years after graduation. I didn’t expect this would put me...
by | Mar 23, 2009 | Stories
I had previously completed my military service (USNR 1957 – 1963) and was thus not eligible for the Draft in 1970. But at our UCLA graduation ceremony in June of that year, our entire class refused to wear caps & gowns as an expression of solidarity with the...
by | Mar 22, 2009 | Stories
My story has a series of ironic twists.I was in ROTC while in college. The first irony of the lottery, as I remember it, was that it was being held after I had to commit to the final two years of ROTC training. It was a gamble, but I chose to go with the ROTC option....
by | Mar 16, 2009 | Stories
I was a student at UCLA when the lottery numbers were coming up. I was not affected for I had enlisted in 1966, US Army Airborne, Special Forces. I served in Viet Nam as a Green Beret. My saddest times were when I was discharged and basically spit on by several...
by | Mar 15, 2009 | Stories
Before the lottery, I visited a UCLA attorney to get counseling on how to deal with the draft board. I had already been scheduled for a physical exam in downtown L.A. I showed up with what seemed like hundreds of other guys. We were divided up into small groups...
