I remember watching the lottery in the rec room of my college along with many other guys. The mood was quiet and somber. The number of people grew smaller as the numbers were drawn. I stayed longer than most as my number was 247. This number meant that I probably would not be drafted. After thinking about it for a few days I decided to join the National Guard. I didn’t want to go to Viet Nam but I felt I should serve in some way. I felt that by the luck of having a high draft number I could choose the way I wanted to serve. Little did I know that everyone with low draft numbers was trying to get in the Guard, too. The 1st Sgt of the unit laughed at me but said I could get on the very long list if I wanted to. They picked 7 guys in Dec 1969 and I was one of them. In March 1970 I was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington for Basic and AIT as 11b10 infantry. My 20th birthday was in AIT. Came back home after completing training, about 5 months or so. Went back and finished college and served 6 years in the Guard. Never looked back and never regretted it.
