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

I volunteered.

I enlisted May 5 1972. My number would have never come up!

Thank you for your service and welcome home. I never received a draft notice. I enlisted in 1960 at the age of 17 and retired from the Navy in 1981. Deployed to Nam twice and floated on both sides of the world. 1 North Atlantic Cruise, 3 MED Cruises, and 2 WESPAC Cruises Plus Crash Crew duty in Gitmo Bay, Cuba and Kodiak Island, AK

What ,Some Very important Government Paperwork,which I ask around about it In my neighborhoods and At School in my 11th grade and the Sum of it was" Man you better go on downtown and see them about this, you do not need to end up going to Jail or dodging it,I was so Excited,That I couldn't sleep nights then and went down the The Recruiting Office and asked the First Military Person I saw,which was Air force,But They signed me up on a delay enlistment program after I Took test to see where I would score high in and be placed,It was Air Force,And For the Rest of the 11th grade and I had turned 16,and turning 17 on a my senior Year,q,There was nothing back home for me except sit around and Rip and run,And I did not need that,and also the Air Force Kept in touch and I vaguely remember they came by my High School,I wanted to go right then, but had to wait.Uf I had to do over again,I would go and live life better than this first time around,And I would had ,Done better,I tested out for Fire Protection Specialist,and Security Police ,and Air Force , Fire Protect Specialist, I scored the Highest

Draft notice was secondary to me as I was #19 on the draft lottery & my immediate reaction was "I'm going to Viet Nam". I was sick to my stomach as I had already lost 3 close friends from our small town to that damn war. Close friends that I sat next to in high school & team mates on our sports teams. A 4th buddy would come home with severe PTSD & take his life by walking in front of a train. I thank the good Lord every day for my getting through my full tour when so many other brave souls were taken but can't help but wonder what did we learn from the tragedy of Viet Nam.
SP4 Gale May

I had just gotten out of school and had been working during school. I figured the draft notice would eventually come and it did. I had a friend who said he could probably get me into the National Guard. I said no, I have to go I will go. Went to Louisville, KY, had my physical, and was sworn in. I didn't know what was ahead for me. I served in Vietnam for 14 months with the artillery. I am very proud that I served. I don't think it really bothered me knowing that I would have to go. I don't hold it against the ones that were in school, but I didn't like the draft dodgers that left the country.

I had just went to see my brother at Fort Ord who happened to be in his 4th week of BCT. My father who picked my mother and I up at the airport calmly asked what I thought of Fort Ord, I said it was OK he hesitated a second and said good your draft notice came Saturday !

Never got a draft notice. I was at Paris Island when I turned 18 so didn't register till I was home on boot leave.

However after my 6 year's and as a college student with a 4-A rating it was very entertaining to watch others get their invitation from uncle Sam. Was that cruel?

SMALL TOWN SELECTIVE SERVICE BOARD. RECEIVED A CALL TELLING ME THEY HAD TO PUT MY DRAFT NOTICE IN THE MAIL. GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO RA AND THAT OPENED ALL KINDS OF DOORS TO GO FROM AN E-NOTHING TO CAPTAIN AND HELICOPTER PILOT. NO REGRETS STILL PROUD OF THE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE OLD ARMY, NOT SO MUCH IN THE PRESENT PINK PANTIES ARMY.

SCARED BUT EXPECTED . HAD HEARD ABOUT A COUPLE OF BOYS WHO WERE CLASSMATES IN H S HAD RECENTLY BEEN WOUNDED IN TET OFFENSIVE , MY MOTHER HEART BROKEN MY DAD WAS AGAINST THE WAR AND BELIEVED IT WAS WRONG TO BE INVOLVED THERE.