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

Ever had bad timing? On June 16, 1970 at 11:05 a.m. I walked into my draft board with the letter from my superior in the State Police. When the clerk asked what I wanted, I handed her the letter and said I wanted my police deferment continued. She said, "Is this an appeal from induction?" "No", I said, "you haven't reached my lottery number yet." She pulled up a paper from her desk and said, "yes we have, I typed yours this morning". I was stunned to read it, and as I lurched toward the door she asked "Don't you want to take it with you?" Let's just say I was impolite as I departed.

Felt like they would never take me as my arm was in a huge cast and had steel rods in both bones. Went for the induction physical and the doc said, I think you'll be fine son as he stamped my paperwork "Accepted". Sure enough, by the time I got to Ft Polk, my arm was out of the cast and rods were out, still frail but, I made it for 30+ years.

I laughed; if there is one thing the government does best, it is to screw things up. I was already processing in transit at Treasure Island for in-country VietNam brown water. The bloody government can't even fight a war that it is willing to win; but, the over paid dumb asses can wrong rout out the paper can't they? I believed in the war when i went; and, I didn't do "it" to be thanked for myservice like I was some sort of linen change maid or bus table service. There were people there that were facing communist aggression and atrocity; sad thing now is that most of them are now dead and I'm sure that they wouldn't necessarily be "thanking us for our service" the way we ran out on them. I went because my Da' also encouraged me to go [Normandy guy] somewhere along the way when I came back he got tarpped in the rich, poor, black, white classs struggle...I hate Nixon thing and it sure wasn't what i expected coming back. I remember him and others telling me how nasty and rotten the hippies were too with their demonstrations and all. Funny thing is that none of them my Da' included never counter demonstrated or carried signs. They just "hated Nixon' that didn't make sense at all. I love my Da' I've forgiven him but I refuse to forget. If I had been spit on I would have known how to handle it; and, I'd be in jail for it. But I wasn't spit on I was "ignored", and how do I handle that???? Now decades later I get a dumb ass "...thank you for your service..." like I cleaned out their shitty toilet in a hotel or changed their linen. How do I handle that???? With a Laugh just like the Draft Board notices; they're dumb asses, and that goes for the 'Normandy crowd' too; at least they had somebody cheering them. I'm a VietNam combat [not era] Veteran something they will NEVER be.

I was half way through my first year ('68) of law school (all 1st year law courses are one school year long) when I was involuntarily inducted and wondered if my anticipated legal career was over before it barely began. Many of my male law school classmates, like myself, were drafted. But UC Hastings College of the Law held my slot open and guaranteed my re-enrollment upon my return. I transferred to the CA National Guard, after 3.6 years of active duty, went back to law school and finished with over 26 years of Infantry, USAR. Hooah!

I was actually happy when I opened it; I volunteered for the draft and told them I wanted to go immediately so I signed a waiver or two and was on my way within 2 weeks.

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

OK, Sir- 1st my number was 315 in 1970, 2nd I was scheduled for my ROTC physical at Ft McPherson that Oct. 3rd I was the eldest son of a WWII Disabled Vet. 4th We had found out the year before(69) that we had lost 3 cousins in SVN in 1968 (82nd Lt, 173rd SGT, 1st Avn Bde SPC crew chief). Yes I supported the war.

When I got my draft notice in 1968, I was in basic training at Lackland AFB. I joined the USAF to avoid being drafted. I had options on my career field in the USAF.

I enlisted in my own. I am R.A.

Since I wasn't planning on going to college after graduation from high school, my uncle suggested I talk to a recruiter he knew. That was a good move since he set me up with an MOS that was something other than Infantry. I was half way through Basic Training when my mother forwarded my draft notice to me. I had enlisted in the next county so my local draft board wasn't aware of my enlistment. I took the letter to my DI and he said not to worry about it, it would catch up with them in due time. Not sure how long that took, but the next time I darkened their door was with my discharge papers in hand. I still have that card in my collection of papers and things. I think I was reclassified IV-A.