The purpose of this site is to collect and share the stories of American men who were subject to the Vietnam war draft lotteries in the years 1969 through 1972. During those years, the Selective Service used a lottery to determine the order in which draft age men would be called up for duty, usually in Vietnam. Many who received a low number were drafted or chose to enlist. Others went to any extreme to avoid being sent to fight in the unpopular war.
If you are one of the over one million men who were subject to the lotteries, we want to hear from you (click SUBMIT STORY tab). Also, you are welcome to read the stories of others affected by the lotteries (click BROWSE STORIES tab); or read a short history of the draft lotteries (click LOTTERY FACTS tab); or follow links to other resources (click LINKS tab); or read the list of top ten well-known draft avoiders (click TOP TEN tab).
To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1969 draft lottery, an article about the lottery, including excerpts from stories on this site, appears in the February 2010 issue of Vietnam magazine, a publication of the Weider History Group. The article can be accessed at www.HistoryNet.com. Under Recent Issues, click on Table of Contents--February 2010--Vietnam Magazine. At the Table of Contents the article is entitled "Live From Washington DC It's Lottery Night 1969!"
