by | Dec 17, 2019 | Stories
I graduated from high school in 1966 and took a job as a janitor for a public school in Michigan. The school arranged for me, and several others, to receive a job deferment. The purpose of the deferment was to benefit the school by retaining employees at a minimum...
by | Nov 23, 2019 | Stories
I entered college in September 1969, and got a deferment to attend college. Later I graduated from Texas A and M and lost my deferment. I graduated in May 1973 and the war stopped in August, 1973 so I was not called. Meanwhile, I had signed a contract with the Marine...
by | Oct 16, 2019 | Stories
I tell anyone who asks where I was during the Vietnam war, that I wanted to beat the draft and I also didn’t want to sweat out being called up for years. I joined the Marine Corps at age 16 with my parents’ consent, arrived for boot camp on my 17th...
by | Aug 6, 2019 | Stories
I was drafted in early winter of 1972 (lottery numbers came on tv right after the Mannix detective show). I was 18. I was ordered to go to the federal building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio the following Monday. This I did. Upon arrival I was given a physical, after...
by | Jul 7, 2019 | Stories
When the number was called, my mom freaked out. My older sister fell apart. Having just turned 18, I wasn’t sure what the fuss was all about. Then a friend told me. OMG I thought, I’m gone for sure. I got the letter telling me to report to St. Louis for a...
by | Jul 7, 2019 | Stories
We had a small party on the day of the draft and I drew number 65. Out of the group of maybe 6 one other guy had a low number and he ended up going into the Army Reserves because he was married with a baby on the way. I talked to a recruiter with a couple of my...
