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

Was in Nam 2nd tour WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I was off work the day before Christmas 1965 and went to find out my number at the draft board. They were closed for the holiday and as I was reading the sign saying so and mumbling out load a clerk came to the door. She checked her file cabinet and their I was. Got my letter first thing after Christmas just like she said. Great Christmas.

In at barely 17. No draft notice.

Signed up for naval air officer training as junior in college. Never got draft. Went in in September of 69. Great experience !

I never received a "Draft Notice". I stood the first lottery draft in 1968 and received 345 as my draft number; the Selective Service System only drafted to 90 that year and you only had to stand the lottery one year. So I would never have been drafted. I enlisted in 1972, became an officer in 1981 and retired in 2009. I did have to take my son to register when he turned 18 even though he thought that since there was no draft he didn't have to register. He enlisted in 2004 and served his 8 years.

I was married with 2 boys (the younger was 3 months old) when I was drafted. I received my draft notice about 1 1/2 months after I had just started my career after college in a different state. My lottery number was 41 so I was not surprised. My first move out of college I had to pay for. Then I had to pay for my move back home so my wife would not be alone in a strange town raising 2 little ones. My overwhelming feeling was that I would not be around to see my kids grow. I felt deep regret about that. I was home about 37 days over that 2 years

Before the lottery, a young man classified 1A and between the ages of 18 and 26 woke up every morning wondering what would be in the mail that day. Many, like myself, tried to take a little of his fate into his own hands by enlisting.

My first attempt was with the Air National Guard. My best friend in high school had already joined and his father was a full time technician. He introduced me to the Air National Guard recruiter when I was a senior in high school. The recruiter asked me how old I was and, when I told him I would be 18 a month after we graduated, he laughed at me. "Son," he said, "You will be drafted long before your name comes up on our waiting list." "Waiting list,?" I asked. "Yes," he replied. Do you think you are the only young man who wants to join the Air National Guard right now?"

After kicking around for a few months, working the same minimum wage jobs ($1.50 an hour!) that I had when I was still in high school, I just couldn't take the suspense any longer. I talked to the Navy recruiter and took their entrance test. Remarkably, I did well in electronics, or so I was told. To this day I firmly believe that it had more to do with the needs of the service than my own aptitude! Unfortunately, the next thing I was told was about THEIR waiting list. When I asked how long, I was told at least six months.

Summer had turned to fall and fall to winter, with no call from the Navy. We were getting close to Christmas now and I was still watching for a draft notice every day. Out of the desperation born of impatience, I decided to talk to the Army recruiter. My first question was, "Do you have a WAITING LIST?" "Son," he replied. "We have buses leaving every half hour. When do you want to sign up?"

I told the Army recruiter that I would like to join right after the holidays. On January 4th, 1968 I boarded a Greyhound bus for the entrance station in Minneapolis. After my entrance physical (where I saw guys actually drafted into the Marine Corps, to my amazement), we were put up in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel nearby. Eight young men to a room, all shipping out the next morning to Ft Campbell, KY. It seemed to be getting pretty drunk in our room, so I though I should call the folks back home and say goodbye before things got too rowdy.

My mother answered the phone and told me, "The Navy recruiter called today." "What did he say, Mom?" I asked. "Your name has come up on the WAITING LIST."

"Thanks, Mom." I replied. "But I AM IN THE ARMY NOW!"

I had a high draft number and to qualifications for a deferral; however, when the started taking guys directly from training to Nam, I joined in a supporting role. I did not think it fair to ignore what was happening to them.

I wasn't old enough to get drafted, but i was part of the 1st age group to have to register for the draft in the early 80's. At that point i had already enlisted, i got a nasty letter several years later about how i had not registered, severe penalty etc... I sent them a copy of my dd214. never heard another word from them.

Never got one. I was on active duty the day after my 18th birthday.