by | Sep 30, 2011 | Stories
I was at the University of Rochester when the lottery was held, and I knew I would have a student deferment if I had to use it. A bunch of us guys met in the common room and each put in $1 for a pool. The man with the lowest number, since he would be the biggest...
by | Aug 21, 2011 | Stories
I was in the first lottery and given number 125. I went through college and was made I-A within days of graduating. My one year of eligibility began. I had a very difficult time finding a job because employers knew I could be called at any time. One company...
by | Jul 18, 2011 | Stories
I was in the Peace Corps in West Africa when I learned of my draft number. It was considered too low at the time. I extended for a 3rd year, returning to the US in 1971. While substitute teaching in Cleveland, I secured conscientious objector status base...
by | Mar 31, 2011 | Stories
The lottery number 209 was assigned to my birthday, 30 June, in the first lottery drawing held on December 1, 1969. I had registered in June 1966 and had been granted a II-S student deferment. In December of 1967, I married, and in July of 1968,...
by | Mar 29, 2011 | Stories
When I turned 18, I lived with my family in Nashville, Tennesee; therefore that’s where my draft board was. By the time the lottery system was in place, I had decided that, even though I opposed the war, I would not resist the draft. This was equal...
by | Mar 12, 2011 | Stories
I grew up in Asheville, NC, and by the time the lottery began, a number of friends and acquaintances from the mountains had died in Vietnam. My father had been in the Service in WW II in the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific. He was adamantly opposed to any...
