Posted on Mar 11, 2016
What were your feelings and thoughts when you first opened your draft notice?
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This question is for our Vietnam era Veterans here on RallyPoint. Share with us what your feelings were when you first received and opened your draft notice.
The Comments Here are Historical and Awesome!
What was your stance on the war? Explain your opinion
Did your parents put ideas into your head about the war that you didn't nessisarly believe in?
The Comments Here are Historical and Awesome!
What was your stance on the war? Explain your opinion
Did your parents put ideas into your head about the war that you didn't nessisarly believe in?
What Would You Do
Warfare
Service
Vietnam War
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 917
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SFC Charles McVey Sr.
COL Mikel J. Burroughs - I am 73, and I know many men who served in Nam who are younger than I am.
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SFC Greg Bruorton
I went to Vietnam as an E7 and came back as an E7. I'm a bit older than most at 78.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
SFC Greg Bruorton - I was AD and went to AT with a NG unit as a MAJ. I thought perhaps I would lose a rank because some interesting things happened like some of the females donned bikinis and did slip and slides. There was alcohol involved. A female 2LT hit on me too. lol
I was pissed because the unit said take your organic vehicles. Well all the officers and senior NCOs drove their POVs to AT. I was the highest ranking person in the damn convoy. Maybe it was a good thing I went with the convoy, because I saw a few chalks of vehicles everywhere, so I asked the convoy commander the sequence of the chalks moving out, and he did not know. So, I gave him some advice. lol
What really pissed me off is the soldiers and I who went in the convoy got stuck in unaircoditioned barracks and this was in the middle of the summer in Alabama. My god it was like 90 degrees at night in that hell hole. The soldiers who took their POVs were given barracks with AC. I was livid. After telling the CoS how effed up the situation was, they adjusted fire and found room for all the soldiers in barracks with AC. My two year gig with the NG unit was interesting. hahaha
I was pissed because the unit said take your organic vehicles. Well all the officers and senior NCOs drove their POVs to AT. I was the highest ranking person in the damn convoy. Maybe it was a good thing I went with the convoy, because I saw a few chalks of vehicles everywhere, so I asked the convoy commander the sequence of the chalks moving out, and he did not know. So, I gave him some advice. lol
What really pissed me off is the soldiers and I who went in the convoy got stuck in unaircoditioned barracks and this was in the middle of the summer in Alabama. My god it was like 90 degrees at night in that hell hole. The soldiers who took their POVs were given barracks with AC. I was livid. After telling the CoS how effed up the situation was, they adjusted fire and found room for all the soldiers in barracks with AC. My two year gig with the NG unit was interesting. hahaha
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Hysterical laughter as I had enlisted in Dec. '69!
I was raised in a conservative Republican family that viewed Richard Nixon reverently, saw Vietnam as a necessary war to hold the line against communism and I enlisted as an infantry/RVN volunteer--much to the consternation of my recruiter, who tried to talk me into going into a field for which it was harder to find qualified recruits to meet his quota. . . .
I was raised in a conservative Republican family that viewed Richard Nixon reverently, saw Vietnam as a necessary war to hold the line against communism and I enlisted as an infantry/RVN volunteer--much to the consternation of my recruiter, who tried to talk me into going into a field for which it was harder to find qualified recruits to meet his quota. . . .
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SFC Chuck Martinez
I was only 17 when I joined, wanted to be an 11B paratrooper, got what I wanted to include the Nam!
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I was already married and had started a career in Wall Street working the New York Stock Exchange when I got my notice. Surprised he'll yes! My lottery number came out and it wasn't for the millions. I did what any responsible person would do. Sucked it up....put on my big boy pants and met my appointment. I don't regret a moment that I spent in the Force. Retired almost 23 years later.
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Mike: The draft was still going on when I enlisted in the Marines on my 18th birthday right out of high school. My friends sweated the draft but some of us didn't care - We volunteered anyway. I don't even know what my number was. My twin brother became an Army paratrooper and he joined with two friends; however, I could not find one friend that would enlist in the Marines with me. It worked out well - It is probably the best decision I ever made to join. Thank you for your distinguished service! Semper Fi, Jon
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs At that age i had no thoughts on Vietnam,that was just something on the tv.Personally never received a draft notice,joined the Marine Corps with my brother.
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Draft Notice? I never got one of those, I enlisted 10/65 at the age of 18.
"My Stance" on the war? I didn't really have much of a stance on the war, it was the only one we had going on at the time, so it was the only one I could go to.
The only idea either of my parents put into my head was when Dad told me "The Democrats will always be the people who will send you off to war.", when I was going to enlist in the Marine Corps, he seriously started in' "Join the Navy, the food is better", or "In the Navy you'll always have a warm place to sleep." In the end, it was "Budweiser clouded thinking" that got me to enlist in the Navy. Dad had been a 'Tin Can Sailor' in WWII, and had provided the aforementioned Budweiser. I don't think he ever understood that, as a Seabee, I was never going to be on a ship.
"My Stance" on the war? I didn't really have much of a stance on the war, it was the only one we had going on at the time, so it was the only one I could go to.
The only idea either of my parents put into my head was when Dad told me "The Democrats will always be the people who will send you off to war.", when I was going to enlist in the Marine Corps, he seriously started in' "Join the Navy, the food is better", or "In the Navy you'll always have a warm place to sleep." In the end, it was "Budweiser clouded thinking" that got me to enlist in the Navy. Dad had been a 'Tin Can Sailor' in WWII, and had provided the aforementioned Budweiser. I don't think he ever understood that, as a Seabee, I was never going to be on a ship.
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Way back in December 1964 I did receive my Notice from my Local Draft Board. However at the time I was a recruit at the U. S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C... So I took the Formal Notice to My Drill Instructor and Informed Him and the U.S. Marine Corps Should take necessary action to Solve this MINOR PROBLEM.. He did inform me the Corps would take care of this and they HAD me and where the Draft Board should stick it.. We both had a very good Laugh about it.. as you can see I retired form the U. S. Army. after my tour with the U. S. Marine Corps I became one of the First Paramedics in this Great Nation. Being in the Alabama National Guard the Army wanted me to go Active Duty. So I did and I retired in 1996 as a Sr Medical NCO at DDEAMC in Augusta, Ga. Total service 27 Years.. But Once a U. S. Marine, always a United States Marine.....
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I'd screwed around and lost my college deferment so I was expecting it. Didn't really have strong opinion about Nam. We I got to Induction center in Oakland, CA in 68 I was offered the chance to to Marine bootcamp. Not sure why but I did. 25 years later retired as an LDO Captain after first becoming a Warrant Officer.
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I thought it was funny when I got my draft notice. It was 1968, at the time I had already been in the Army 3 years and was in South Korea.
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