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

Laughter.....I was in basic training at Lackland AFB, TX.

I had just come home from work one afternoon and my mother handed me a letter. It started, "Greetings from the President of the United States" and to report to someplace in LA, CA, or some similar statement.
Unlike so many other replies here I meekly did as it said and hoped for the best. I was 20 years old and very much aware of Vietnam, and for me jail or Canada were not much of an option, what else could I do? I just hoped for a job in Germany as a clerk typist. However, it was Basic, then AIT, then 2 weeks leave (I turned 21), then Vietnam. Once there I did the best I could but after about four months we went into into Cambodia, hoping to rout out the bad guys, but then back to Vietnam where all was the same, no changes. Same Old Shit, nothing changed except that we had captured "The City" and recovered countless arms and ammunition AND many, many tons of rice that were in bags that had English writing on it. It seems that our "friends" in England were selling and delivering their rice to Hanoi.
That was the final straw. I had now become (in my mind) officially a C.O. but did not dare let it on to my C.O. (interesting juxtaposition of acronyms!) but got him to transfer me to a rear unit for the remaining 6 months of my tour. The crazy thing was that he promoted me to Sergeant E-5 and awarded me a Bronze Star. Who'd a thunk it!
One little factoid, I extended my ETS to return to the states with less than five months to serve and be released. Nixon, however, had Christmas cutbacks of troops in Vietnam so I got home with six months to go and still got released.
One last little factoid: When I was drafted I was working for The Bermite Powder Company. Besides the Sidewinder and Chaparral missiles, Bermite also made the powder bags that the artillery used, and as I was assigned to a 155 mm S.P. unit I got to see Bermite's products close up in action - Good Grief!

A cousin of mine had just been discharged (Army), was back from 'Nam less than two weeks -- and gets a BRAND NEW (had not been following him around!) draft notice. His parents had to practically tie him to a chair to keep him from going after the draft board with a shotgun.

I was 27 and had my notice I no longer needed to register for the draft. Then Desert Shield\Storm occurred. My USAR unit had their notice to come home before AIT was done. After a break, I entered the Illinois Army NG at 43. I turned 50 in Afghanistan. Wasn't drafted, but went all the same.

No. 43,in the first lottery conducted without student deferment, President “Peace with Honor” Nixon sent the first 50 numbers downrange. The pre-induction physical notice was waiting in the mailbox the same day I returned home from finishing my Sophomore year at the University of Maryland, College Park. My Dad, a World War II Army Ordnance Captain Veteran, strongly suggested I think about heading north to Canada. When I allowed I couldn’t do that, he said he didn’t want to hear any “God and Country speech”. My rationale was simple: if I didn’t go then someone else would, and I couldn’t live with that. He reluctantly drove me to Ft. Holabird, now an industrial park in Baltimore City, where he had taken his oath exactly thirty years earlier in 1942, and where an Air Force Colonel medical doc was conducting pre-induction physical exams that warm late Spring morning in 1972. A future warrior several draftees in front of me in line had a back brace on, brand new, right out of the box — he didn’t (or couldn’t” manage to have it laced up correctly. I made eye contact with the Colonel, nodding at the guy in front of me, and he cracked a faint smile and gently rolled his head, as if it say “yeah, I’ve heard it and seen it all”. When I finally reached the front of the line he cocks his head and asks, “well, son what’s your story? I said “excuse me, sir?” “I don’t like the look of that left leg”, replies the Colonel. “Oh, that’s nothing. Just gets a little stiff when I stand too long. Flex it a couple of times, and I’m good to go. See. Twisted it trying to play high school lacrosse. Never had surgery.” He nods, marked me for a medical reevaluation and I ended up 4F medically deferred. I’ll go to my deathbed believing if I had put a brace on that knee, hobbled up in line, and told the Colonel some cock and bull story, I would’ve been off to basic training, undoubtedly just like the gentleman wearing the back brace. My First Born Son, named after my Dad, would pay for the sins of his father, enlisting in the Army out of high school, and serving five years as a MOS 19Delta with 4/3 CR and 1-89 CAV 10th Mountain. “Climb to Glory”. CavDad (my unit-designated call sign), Out!

I laughed as I was in Navy boot camp. I told my mother to send it back.

Wasn't drafted enlisted in USMC and went to Nam in Jan. 69. Semper Fi

I knew it was coming, I just did not know when, and then like a bolt out of the blue it was in my hands. I got together with some good friends had some beer, and on 19th Feb, 1968 I departed for Ft Dix.

I was ,still in HighSchool,When I got my draft notice in the mail and I went to show it off around those I knew and School and very Concerned about What was next,Then A associate told me I need to go on downtown and let them know about it,So they would not have to come looking for me,and So too I was enlisted in the DEP : Delay Enlistment plan,,and focused on Ducking and dodging trouble So I could go and serve and Help us win,,My 12 th grade was that of studying hard,and staying above those who,Was in the War at home where it came to Civil rights,Riots,Curfews ,staying off the streets,caring to make it out of The 12h th Gradd and work part time and be about , be I ng all I could be,so often when After Going to The Recruiter here in My Town,And Officials keeping an eye out for us,,guidance counselors,It was a long 12 th .I wanted to go into the military cause I could make s difference,I could learn to work with others whom always thought,Cause of the low income parts of our Towns could not possible bring forth Real Soldiers and it did,there was so much discrimination in our days and It made me proud to work along side of others who Did not judge me about the Color of my skin , the Context of my heart or my resolve,If I had to fo it all over again,I would,We had to try to put behind us Racial Discrimination, to Protect the America way of Life

I was exempt from the draft ,being a father at 17 and supporting a family. But when my ex wife and I separated, I started getting getting letters from draft board inquiring about my current status and since my construction business failed and my life was in toilet, I enlisted. Best decision I ever made. Retrospectively.