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

Never got a draft notice and didn't wait for one. Found a recruiter and asked where to sign. My parents didn't try to influence my decision. They raised me the way they thought best and recognized there was a man talking to them, not a boy when I told them what I was going to do. I just said they had their war to get through, this was mine and no matter what happened I just wanted them to be proud of me. I could see in their eyes they were. My mom passed away whenb I was halfway through boot camp, but my DAD WAS THERE WHEN I CAME HOME SEVEN YEARS LATER WITH THAT SAME LOOK IN HIS EYES.

too young to get one but my parents were relived that they stopped sending troops to Nam in 73 delayed entry in Nov. of 74 , active duty June 30th 75 did see two tours to Korea , & 3 yrs in Germany

I was flying as a door gunner out of Phu Loi when my mother forwarded to me my draft notice. I laughed and threw it into the rotor wash.

Never received a draft notice, I was only 17 years old when I joined.

I was an E-5 when I got mine.

Almost a year after I joined the Army I was stationed in Germany when my mother forwarded my draft notice to me.
Upon opening the letter I went right to my CO to tell him I needed to go home because I had been drafted !
The CO said "give me that letter, I will take care of this".
A short time later I submited a form 1049.
Within a month I received orders for a 30 day leave as well as orders to be reasigned to a unit in Viet Nam.
On the same orders I received notice of my promotion to PFC E 3.

My Lottery number was 58 so I knew it was just a matter of time. So when it came it was more oh well here i go.

At the time I thought we shouldn't be in the war but I still was going to serve my country that was never an issue or question. Luck of the draw I went to Korea instead of Vietnam. I did end up serving 24 years before I retired. As for my parents they never tried to influence me one way or the other. (My Dad was a WWII vet and also retired from the Navy)

This is a funny one for myself and many other draftees. I was in the Air Force at the time my draft notice came. Since all our mail was routed first to our parent organization, out detachment 1st sgt got all our mail. I was called into his office ( without knowing why), to get my mail. He separated the draft notice from the rest of the mail and asked me why I was a draft dodger. We were stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War at the time. I didn't want to go ARMY or MARINES, so I enlisted. He suggested that I go to a US ARMY post a few miles away, see the local re-enlistment officer/ nco, and fix the problem. Needless to say the ARMY NCO we ent from giddy to very sad when he saw my military ID. No bonus for him that month.

I enlisted in the US Army and spent 8 weeks in Basic Trng @ Ft Polk, La and then another 12 weeks in Communications school on an Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. Upon completion I took a weeks leave before deploring and was given my envelope from my mom. I opened it and lord and behold, my Draft Notice. I took it to my previous recruiter and he laughed and said: I’ll take care of it soldier. We shook hands and I left. Pretty funny for me.

Lost my college deferment upon graduation so being drafted was inevitable and certainly expected. Got my invitation on my 22nd birthday on July 24th, 1967 and was in RVN the following April (1968). I had no strong feelings about the war and considered military service a civic responsibility. My mother was heartbroken about being in the military during wartime. However, I believe she was proud of me for doing my duty.