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?
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 917
“Well, this is a silly waste of time. Maybe keep it for extra shit paper.”, I said to my buddies as we ate C-rats and heated coffee over C-4 in the bush southwest of DaNang in 1970.
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in June 1971 I was in USAF boot camp 2 weeks later my dad sent me my draft notice. I showed to my my MTI he goes grab the butt can. he handed me a liter. I said will I get in trouble. he goes boy your butt belongs to the USAF Nothing they can do. burned it. then4 months later I was on a flight to Cam Rhan Bay.
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I’m too young to have received a draft notice (born in 1970), but I did get a call from my Mom while I was at Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ft. Benning, GA in 1992 informing me that I was being reported as AWOL by the National Guard unit I drilled with while I was an ROTC cadet.
Took a couple of phone calls to sort that out. They were unaware I had been Commissioned.
Took a couple of phone calls to sort that out. They were unaware I had been Commissioned.
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Had just started in the NROTC program. VN was just starting up. I opened the letter and thought “Thank God I’m in NROTC.” Took the letter to the unit’s admin CPO who said “I’ve got it.” Awhile later I received another letter telling me I had missed a date. As I listened, I was most appreciative of the CPO as he called the board and provided very direct instructions as to how they were to handle the situation. Got my reclassification a month later.
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I failed to answer the second part of the question, so I'm posting about that.
All my uncles (and some of my aunts) had served in the military during WWII. One was on the Indianapolis, and one at Bastogne. The rest all served overseas. I knew about Viet Nam before I was sent there. I volunteered for duty on the PBRs in the Mekong Delta. I felt then and still feel today that doing so was a good thing. I signed an extension to stay.
After Saigon fell, I sponsored a total of 13 refugees, one an ARVN Corporal who had spent three years in a "reeducation camp."
All my uncles (and some of my aunts) had served in the military during WWII. One was on the Indianapolis, and one at Bastogne. The rest all served overseas. I knew about Viet Nam before I was sent there. I volunteered for duty on the PBRs in the Mekong Delta. I felt then and still feel today that doing so was a good thing. I signed an extension to stay.
After Saigon fell, I sponsored a total of 13 refugees, one an ARVN Corporal who had spent three years in a "reeducation camp."
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I didn't ever receive a draft notice. I enlisted voluntarily in 1972. The Viet Nam war was still up and running, and several of my basic combat training class were assigned to Viet Nam, most as mortar-men.
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I had been patrolling in the Mekong Delta for five months. I wrote a nice letter asking if they could please come and get me, or send me home so I could demonstrate my lack of eligibility for the draft.
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My 1st Sergent and I had a good long laugh, as I had been in USAF, stationed in Thailand for five months. I was called corporal d'Errico for a week, after going down to the US ARMY's camp at Ramason Comms center. I had to show my military ID card to the enlistment NCO there.
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Draft Lottery number 103. Only lottery I ever won. At the swearing in thing, they asked every 5th guy to step forward. They said you are now Marines. Missed me by one.
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