by | Jan 31, 2016 | Stories
In that first draft lottery I drew number 128, and most of the significant events in my life flowed from that moment, in one way or the other. After graduation from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1970, I began preparing to be drafted for service in Southeast Asia. A friend...
by | Jan 27, 2016 | Stories
I vividly remember being in Allen Fieldhouse, at a KU basketball game, sitting with friends in seats directly behind the basket (where we always sat), when I learned that my lottery number was sufficiently high that I could avoid going to war. It was...
by | Dec 29, 2015 | Stories
I was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon at KU when the initial draft lottery was held. Like a number of houses, we had a $5 pool amongst the members with the lowest draft number winning the pool. The chapter room was packed with guys as the draft pull began. Everyone was...
by | Dec 16, 2015 | Stories
I recall being very nervous before the lottery. My GPA was struggling at the time as I had just been dismissed for poor scholarship, and had to apply for probation status to continue for one more semester. My brother Charles and I were registered with Draft Board 100...
by | Dec 16, 2015 | Stories
I was a sophomore at KU when the drawing was held, but having a student deferment kept me from dwelling on the reality of the situation. As 1971 was nearing its end, I had accepted my certain fate and had even signed up to get the physical (just in case I...
by | Dec 10, 2015 | Stories
My year of reckoning was 1968. I had already decided to volunteer for Navy flight but after acing the written test was told I didn’t pass their physical. I had no interest in being a swabby or being in the Air Force (bad uniforms) and the Marines were a little...
