I was near the end of my undergraduate degree and remember seeing groups of 10-15 men huddled around radios in the Missouri University Student Commons. I heard my birthdate and lottery No. 70 announced, which elicited groans around the room vs. the many cheers when higher numbers were announced. I had already submitted an application for a commission in the Navy. Upon finishing my BS degree, I immediately began my study for an MS in entomology and got through the summer and fall of ’69 and into the winter of ’70 when a “Greetings from the President” letter arrived. I waited two weeks for the end of the semester and enlisted in the Navy in St. Louis under the cache program, which delayed my reporting for 4 months and enabled me to complete my degree. Although turned down for a direct commission on my first try, I resubmitted an application and was picked up in December as an O-2 (LTjg). I went on active duty, ultimately staying 30 years for a career as a Medical Service Corps medical entomologist, and retired in 2000 as a Navy Captain (O-6),
