Dave, Virginia, 1969. No. 315: Numbered Faces

I was a student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.  1969 was the first year of the draft.  I sat in the packed Rathskellar (Student Union) the night of the first draft and watched as they pulled dates out of the lottery bin.  It was a tough,...

Arthur, Michigan, 1969. No. 198: By The Numbers

I was scheduled to graduate from the University of Wisconsin in June of 1969 but needed an extra semester to finish.  I was classifed 1-A beginning when my student deferment ended in June, and I received a middle level draft number. I started my career...

Gary, Wisconsin, 1969. No 364: 92 Days' Duty

I joined ROTC as an undergraduate when LBJ announced that there would be no further deferments for graduate students.  Planning law school, I took advantage of the law school deferment for Air Force officers.  By the time the lottery came along, I had...

Tim, Colorado, 1969. No. 8: Weather Doctor

The night of the lottery, my fiance and I were in my student office at McArdle laboratories on the Wisconsin campus. When I realized that I had a draft number of 8, we burst into tears and sobbed.My first reaction was that I needed to do something other than be in the...

Joel, New York, 1969. No 173: The Rabbi's Road Not Taken

On the day of the first lottery drawing, December 1, 1969, I was taking tests and interviewing for a place in the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.  At the conclusion of a full day of testing and questioning, I...