Bill, Virginia, 1969. No. 123: Lottery Flashbacks

by | May 12, 2008 | Stories

I was a junior at UNC and remember sitting in my dorm room with several friends, watching on TV as the numbers were called during that first lottery. A lot of "dark humor" filled the room as we waited. Among my friends in the room, I turned out to have the...

Josh, New York, 1969. No. 227: NROTC and Destroyer Escort Duty

by | May 12, 2008 | Stories

I arrived at UNC in the fall of 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War.  My father, a former drafted combat infantryman in WWII, advised me to join the Navy and be an officer.  I was accepted into NROTC and began my Navy training.  At the beginning...

Bill, Alabama, 1969. No. 263: The View From Ft. Shafter

by | May 8, 2008 | Stories

I remember listening with some friends as the numbers were drawn and finally mine came up – 263.  Oh shit I said.  I would have never had to go.  You see I was listening at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.  I had been in the Army 11 months.  Oh...

Ralph, Arkansas, 1969. No. 328: Cold Night At The Drive-In

by | May 6, 2008 | Stories

The draft lottery was on the day before my 21st birthday in 1969. One of my best friends had been forced to drop out of Carolina for a couple of semesters because of mononucleosis and was living at home in Burlington and taking some classes at Elon before returning to...

Randy, North Carolina, 1969. No. 334: Lucky Memento Draft Card

by | May 6, 2008 | Stories

I went to the North Carolina basketball game that night. After the game, I turned on the car radio and they were giving a recap. I came in on the broadcast about number 130 and listened with great anxiety. After they got up to number 300, I started to think...