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

I very advanced as a 2 month old. But I was ready to roll

I enlisted at 17. When I returned home after 3 years, I ended up with a draft card. What to do with it? What to do? I will leave up to your imagination. :-)

My feelings on the war were directly colored by my Brothers’ tours of duty in the Nam. I was attending what was referred as “BERKLEY EAST”; ie U MASS and absolutely refused to allow those card carrying communist so called professors, to call my Brother and his fellow Service Members BABY KILLERS. Needless to say this was not a very popular stance and I had to fight to get graded fairly. I enlisted directly from there and NEVER looked back. I was one of a total of 10 RA soldiers in my Basic Training Company ,A-1-1 on Tank Hill at Fort Jackson. I was one of two who enlisted for the NAM, me a 95B and the other an 18D. MPs were stopped shipping while I was at MP School at Fort Gordon.

Was still in High school would join the ARMY a little over a year after graduation in Oct 1974

To all my brothers and sisters, whether you were drafted or enlisted, welcome home.

A story not about me but fellow ROTC cadet, who was also Frat Rat. His frat buddies had been giving him grief every drill day, when we had to wear our uniforms all day. The day after the lottery drawing, some of them were saying "Oh my God, what am I going to do, I have a low number?" Response from my fellow cadet: "You are going to call me SIR"

The year the lottery began my birthday was the first date pulled. I was 16. When my year came my birthday was 352. I enlisted 2 years later.

Was attending 12 mile Hign aka MCCC Macomb County Community College in Warren Michigan when I dropped a class because juggling of School, full time job, homework, girlfriend and sleep something had to give. Working 2nd shift making flat pieces of metal into car parts and getting off at 11pm sleep was often in the college parking lot just before class. Have to say it didn't take the college to report me and the govt in a couple of weeks turned my student 2 S deferment to a 1A ready for the draft. My 156 lottery number was hit as they still drafted up thru 180-190 that year (Apr71) Basic training at Ft Knox met the 82nd Abn Recruiter and ended up a Cav Scout to a unit that was standing down Vietnam. Enjoyed my time at Bragg and when my girlfriend got with child I reenlisted and then again and again till I had 22 years active promoted to E-8 MSG with 14 yrs on Airborne status I retired in NC and now live in the Smokey Mountains in western NC. My duffel bag got too heavy to carry back to Michigan,

I immediately thought I should have used that 2S deferment to study and actually attend class instead of partying and chasing coeds. Slow learner...

First thought; "Damn, I should have used that 2S student deferment to attend class & study instead of partying & chasing coeds"