Rhodes, Florida, 1970. No. 42: Not Supposed To Happen

Although I had had some ROTC experience, I was not enamored with going to Viet Nam. OCS was closed when I graduated in June of 1970, so I enlisted, in an attempt to obtain an MOS that was non-combat related. I went into the Quartermaster Corps after completing basic...

Erm, Alabama, 1969. No. 68: Guaranteed To Be Picked

Scary times… My wife was 4 months pregnant (the exemption for children had recently been discontinued) and I had just drawn a guaranteed-to-get- picked number. I was to graduate in May of 1970. Before I finished up at NCSU I was called up for...

Jerry, North Carolina, 1969. No. 241: A Brother's Sacrifice

My lottery number was low enough for me to get a letter from the Draft Board to report for a physical. I was a student at NC State, married with one child and one on the way.  I wasn’t particulary fond of being drafted but I wasn’t going to...

David, Nevada, 1969. No. 107: On The Button

I was a UCLA student during the first lottery in 1969.  When it occurred, my birthday came up 107 and I was I-A as student deferments had been dispensed with.  At that time, we heard the government was going to take all numbers up to 195 so I...

Dave, North Carolina, 1969. No. 326: The Morning After

I was attending NC State and living in an apartment with two roommates. One of my friends (Tim) from Campbell College showed up at the apartment and suggested we all go out partying as the lottery could change our lives forever. (We were all I-A). My two roomies...

Ray, New Jersey, 1969. No. 105: Stunned But Happy

I was a senior at North Carolina State University when the 1969 lottery was held, and when my number came up as 105, it seemed inevitable that I would be drafted. I decided, though, that I would live my life just as I had intended before the lottery, and let the chips...