Tom, Georgia, 1969. No. 091: The Last Draftee

As I recall, the entire frat house was watching and listening to the lottery and drinking beer.  After about number 200 or so, I took a bio break and while standing there, another brother came to use the head.  He was one year older than me, but we both had...

Ben, Georgia, 1969. No. 366: Bowl of Destiny

I was sitting in a dorm room at Georgia with 4 or 5 other resident friends, drinking beer and listening to the live draft on the radio. There was a lot of tension in the room as your number had a huge impact on your immediate future and the choices you faced. A low...

Tom, Georgia, 1969. One Year Teaching Was Enough

Before the date of the first lottery I had already been in Air Force ROTC for four years. After graduating in 1969 I was slated to be commissioned in the Air Force. However, on the morning of my signing up I decided I actually did not want to be...

Dee, Georgia, 1969. No. 262: Lacing Up The Hightops

I was living in the fraternity house when the first lottery was held. Everybody put a dollar (or five or whatever it was) in a pot and whoever had the lowest number "won" the money. As you might imagine, it was a pot no one wanted to win. My friend...

Michael, Georgia, 1969. No. 241: Left Its Mark

I entered the University of Georgia as a freshman in the fall of 1967.  I was 17 years old when I walked into my first ROTC class.  Sgt. Lunsford strode in and declared, "Firepower is bullets hitting people!"  That’s all I remember...

Walter, Georgia, 1969. No. 228: Better Than I Knew

I remember being at the fraternity house that night in 1969 when the lottery took place.  I was a sophomore at UGA.  My number was actually a good one (228), but I didn’t realize how good it was. A good friend of my father’s was on the...