The draft ended for me when I received the number 287 in the 1971 lottery. From the results of previous lotteries, I knew that I had a high enough number that I wouldn’t be called. I had grown up with the draft and came to several opinions.
I opposed military service more than the war. I viewed the North Vietnamese as the aggressors, so I was less critical of the war than many others.
I had two objections to military service. First, I have a tendency for heat exhaustion and was afraid that I couldn’t handle the high temperatures in Vietnam. Second, I didn’t want to serve due to the unfairness of the numerous job and family deferments being issued by local draft boards.
I was less critical of student deferments because they were available to anyone. I didn’t have the money to attend a university, but I could have enrolled at a local junior college. Several of my friends, with low lottery numbers, had an opportunity for school, but refused. They were afraid of failing and tired of studying. When they returned from the military, they criticized me for not having served, and our friendship declined.