by | Aug 16, 2010 | Stories
I don’t remember much except joining my fraternity brothers in the commons area and watching the drawing on TV. I really had no plan for what I’d do if drafted; I admit I simply felt lucky. Having torn up my knee the previous summer, I knew I...
by | Aug 15, 2010 | Stories
I was a sophomore at Duke University in 1968, a turbulent time to be sure. My roommate had just flunked out and soon enlisted in the navy in order to avoid being drafted in to the army.I did not support the war in VietNam as it seemed to be a senseless...
by | Aug 10, 2010 | Stories
That December 1969 night when the first lottery numbers were drawn was a pivotal moment in my life and that of everyone in my class. Before that the draft was a common enemy, but afterwards everyone’s attitude depended on his lottery number. Knowing I...
by | Aug 9, 2010 | Stories
I sat in the parlor of a dormitory with a group of worried males, most of us with our girlfriends, in December, 1969, to hear the numbers read out on the radio. Next to me was a guy whose birthday came up number 1. He rose silently and walked away (in...
by | Aug 9, 2010 | Stories
I was a student at Duke Divinity School in 1969. My lottery number was 74, a number that would have resulted in my being drafted except that my divinity school status provided me a ministerial deferment. A fellow student made a convincing case...
by | Aug 8, 2010 | Stories
Like many others, my father and uncles served in WW II. We grew up watching TV shows and movies that glorified military service, in which the good guys always won. A friend of mine and I had planned to join the Marines under the buddy system (actually false...
