What were your feelings and thoughts when you first opened your draft notice?

I was in the Navy when my noticed came. My dad said I got some mail from the government. Not sure what he did with that notice,

Was expecting it. Lost my 2S deferment, and my lottery number (19) had already been called. Was expectedimg more details, but all it said was to report to Fort Hamilton for a physical.

Reported to Fort Dix, NJ. Did my BCT then OJT'd with the on base MP BN; building up the unit to rotate to VN. That changed when Nixon bombed the hell out of NVN in Dec 72. Got out, went back to school, and ROTC.

Not bad for someone who had no intention of serving (not against military, I just had better things to do ... right). Pretty much speaks for my dad, uncle and mom (WWII) my older brother (VN), and younger brother (Korea and Germany). Had no intentions, but if invited, do your best!

Did not receive a Draft "Notice". I had a Selective Service Registration Card and just before the Draft Lottery ended, took it and myself to the Navy Recruiter and told him that want to be in the Medical Profession but had no more money for college (I went for a year to a Nursing Program), didn't want to work in the Steel Foundry for several more years just to earn enough to pay for part time. I asked about the P.A. Training Program and was told, "All you need to do is have 3 years as a Corpsman, be a PO2 and you'll get it - "no problem". I bit... that RMCS "drafted" me and got his quota of Corpsmen, because three of us ended up in HM-A School later that year.

Well as I am not old enough to have served in Vietnam, my pop did. Alpha Company 1/5 in '69 @ Liberty Bridge, An Hoa.

My pop joined the Marine Corps so he would not be drafted into the Army. He figured if he had to go to war he wanted to go with the best.

I didn't wait for my draft notice. I felt that I needed to enlist and serve.

I never received a draft notice. I was in college with a 2S deferment and after I went into the advanced ROTC program it changed to 1D. I had gotten number 59 so I knew had I not went through ROTC,I would have been a PVT instead of a 2LT. By the way that year I got 59 , the high number the board got to was 206. It affected a lot of guys I graduated with. We have a reserve transportation company in town that I was told was at 275% strength. The guys who joined thought they were safe. The company got federalized and off the RVN they went.

On my Mothers side a good portion of her cousins enlisted with the 82nd Airborne for Vietnam I believe the 82nd got three or four extended family members for that war. Mix between Officer and Enlisted, nobody from my immediate family as our eldest just became eligible a year after the draft was suspended.......My mother was so relieved he wasn't drafted. Then he enlisted as well in 1976...lol Too funny. He ended up in Supply and served entirely in CONUS.

I had to re-read it several times. I guess I didn't believe it could happen to me. than I ran down the same day and joined the Navy-----Hine sight being what it is---I should have gone into the Army and be done with it.

I was in Vietnam, Dad took care of it, Everyone in Vietnam had their own ideals how to win the war or get rich. Everyone was running their own operation, took me some time to figure this out.
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I went in the Army out of High School in 1969, never was drafted what so ever. Had older brothers who also joined none were drafted. Our father served in the Army for 22 years. There were seven of us and I was number five of the seven sons my father had. Two of my brothers were in the Marines while the rest of us went Army as our father had.