by | Aug 8, 2010 | Stories
My lottery number was low, and I was disappointed that the draft would remain an issue for me. I wasn’t worried, however, because I was in a course of study that would lead to a teaching career. If I could find a job, I would be eligible for an...
by | Aug 3, 2010 | Stories
My number was 151 meaning that I was likely to be drafted upon graduation from Duke. I was a pre-med major (as were 50% of the males in my class) and the competition for grades was fierce and cut-throat, because medical schools were focused on your GPA as a great...
by | Aug 3, 2010 | Stories
I was attending the Duke-Virginia Tech basketball game on December 1, 1969 (in Greensboro, first game of the year) with two of my roommates, John N. and Ben P. Of the three of us, two had already committed to some form of military service. I had signed up for a...
by | Aug 3, 2010 | Stories
With a student deferment about to end, and with the "War Boards" behind me, I was sweating out the lottery, nearly fainting when I got No. 19. I presumed that would mean instant boot camp; but, I was married at the time and when I graduated, I taught...
by | Aug 2, 2010 | Stories
I was long conflicted about the Vietnam War. My father was a career naval officer and was actually stationed off the battle coast while I was going to Duke, class of 1970. At school I inevitably concluded that the Viet Cong were at least as legitimate a voice of...
by | Aug 2, 2010 | Stories
This was the first draft and a bunch of us had gone to Greensboro to see a Duke basketball game. We took a large portable radio (they were all large back then) so we could listen to the results. The drawing began during the freshman game (they had freshmen...
