Stephen, Georgia, 1969. No. 294: Invincible And Immortal

We were I-S (student deferment), about to turn magically into I-A (fit for military service).  It was December 1.  All the TV rooms of Russell Hall were packed.  I was a 19 year old junior in the chemistry department.  I roomed on...

John, Georgia, 1969. No. 300: Cheers And Groans Down The Hall

I was taking a business law test on the night of the drawing, and we were all distracted and wanting wanting to finish and go to a T.V. where the lottery was playing. We could actually hear cheers and groans from a group watching from down the hall. For many of...

Mike, Georgia, 1969. No. 019: Who Fought And Who Was Excused

 I had a very low lottery numer, but my draft status was decided before the drawing.  While a student in 1969, I neglected to fill out the forms that showed I was in good standing with UGa. One day a draft notice came to me by mail. I was dumbstruck,...

Gerald, Georgia, 1969. Hung Over In The Pool

I was at UGA during the draft lottery working on my doctorate which I received in 1971. The day after the lottery, while I was teaching a swimming class in the old UGA pool, all of my students were talking about where they stood. Two students were all "hung...

Stu, Georgia, 1969. No. 305: Germany Instead

Like all male students at a Land Grant college, I had to take the first two years of Basic ROTC courses.  One fateful day, I got a letter from my "friends" at the Draft Board informing me that, since I was 1 credit shy of where I should have been in my...

Steve, California, 1969. No. 046: Trails of Destiny

Life is about choices.  Timing of those choices creates one’s personal destiny. I believe the 1969 draft lottery led to certain personal choices that greatly affected the destiny of who, what and where I am today, in 2013.I had been assigned a...