Bill, North Carolina, 1969. No 339: What a Relief it Was.

Went to the Tarheel basketball game on the day of the lottery, and when we got back to the lodge the guys had been watching TV and had made a list of the lottery numbers and birthdates.  I started at the beginning, and finally got to No. 339.  Oh what a...

Bruce, North Carolina, 1970. No. 253: Friday the 13th

    I had a medium high lottery number (253 I think) and was concerned but not overly fearful of being called up for the draft.  One day in the fall of 1970 I had a particularly stressful and hectic day at work and was really worn out when I...

Dave, North Carolina, 1969. No. 93: Thank you Walter Cronkite!

My student deferment expired in 1972. I had lottery number 93 and had received a notice to report for a physical. One day in December I was watching Walter Cronkite, and he announced that the draft was ending that month after they drafted up through number...

Bob, North Carolina, 1969. No. 14: From Amor to Alcohol

The first lottery didn’t have as much visibility with me as the UNC basketball game that night to which I took an attractive freshman. Afterwards, she and I returned to my dorm where I was a resident advisor. Upon stepping off the elevator, some of my inebriated...

Jeff, North Carolina, 1969. No. 1! Best "Foot" Forward

I remember the lottery very well. I was a sophomore at Carolina and my older brother was serving a tour in Vietnam. The night of the draft everyone was glued to the TV.  I didn’t have to watch long, for my birthdate(9-14-50) was the first number picked. I...