re: The Vietnam Draft Lottery

In the initial lottery in 1969, my number was 355. Had I been born a day earlier, my number was 92…. A day later it was 77.
I’ve always wondered…

Before the lottery system was instituted, every male citizen between the age of 18 and 26 was eligible to be drafted into the army (and sometimes into the Marines) absent a deferment issued for a plethora of reasons: physical impairment, employment in a critical industry, college student, married with children, sole source of support for a family, mental issues, etc, etc. It was often a random mess given local draft boards, scams, and disparate treatment. College students had deferments (II-S) as long as they made steady progress to a degree. That meant that at university, you had to be classified as a sophomore at the beginning of your second year, a junior at the beginning of your third year, and a senior at the beginning of your fourth year. If you did not meet that criteria, you were considered “out of phase” or “not making progress to a degree “ and you lost your II-S deferment. C’est moi. Lost my deferment in 1968. Pre induction physical in late ‘68, basic training and infantry training for appx 20 weeks in South Carolina. In a mechanized infantry unit in Quang Tri province by 1969. The lottery system was designed to be more fair than all the deferment system vagaries. BTW: the heavy lifting by combat ground forces in Vietnam was pretty much tailing off by late 1970 before most of the lottery draftees ever got there.

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First and foremost government run anything is inefficient. I am from New Orleans, if you are from elsewhere that may have something to do with it. But my brother himself will tell you he got a number. I also said he got the number in case things kicked off again, he wasn’t actually required to report anywhere. I also miscalculated my brothers age, he’s 69.

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You could get a draft card when you were 16. You would probably be designated as 1 H (Hold). I got one when I was 16, but the draft ended before I turned 18. Still have it.

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He joined up and He spoke fluent French. So they sent him to Vietnam. He came back with a tremendous case of PTSD from artillery landing nearby and a fairly significant substance abuse issue

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Bald face lie

Vietnam did not get volunteers until 2023. And they do not care what languages you know. They send native spanish speakers to Asia

IF anything, he would've gone to Africa because of the French

Map of countries with programs from 1961-2020

And at the slightest sign of unrest, they evacuate. They would not send PCVs to an active warzone

I’m in middle of watching video when my 19yo son calls me to update me on his college football workouts. Heart sinks thinking what parents must have been going through during this process.

I think every POTUS should have military experience to become POTUS. Meaningfulness…

My cousin got sent over and when they found he could speak French they made him some sort of local hamlet rep. My brother drew #3. I got something like 285. He joined the Air Force. Stressful times

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Keltic Tiger

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You again. You are a liar and are not to be believed about anything regarding the era in question, your actions, the Vietnam War and the draft.

My dad “dodged” it as long as he could in vocational school. Some sort of drafting/draftsman classes. The instructor was a veteran of ww2 or Korea. I can’t recall. And told him. If he quit the class he’d be gone before summer was over. It was 67’ or 68’ and they were ramping up.

Dad was running out of $$ and guilt was creeping in. He lasted a couple months before he got picked. His luck got better. Selected for medic training. But also selected for working in a hospital in Japan. Dad’s 2 jokes. “Glad I can’t shoot worth a shite or I’d have been a field medic.” And when asked what he did/served. “Just a big puss in a hospital!”

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Joining the Navy was one of the best things I ever did,set me on the path to a successful life.

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Same thing happened to me....I'd give darn near anything to work on the flight deck of a carrier for a day and night again.

Smiles......geeeeeze, this really hurts.