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How many of you were drafted?

7K views 63 replies 36 participants last post by  40Shotguns 
#1 ·
How many received the "Greetings and Salutations" from the President of the United States during the military draft?

What branch of the military were you drafted into? Army, Navy, or Marines. As if you had a choice.

Did you get a free round trip ticket to Vietnam? Of course, there was a 12 month layover in a foreign country with much gun play and fireworks displays.

Many of our SGW members are of the age group the draft board got very interested in.

Will you tell us about it?
 
#3 ·
I was not drafted. I made no attempt to stay out of the army, other than maintaining a decent grade average in college. Ducking the draft never entered my mind. My Dad flew 55 missions as the turret gunner on a B17 and my Mom graduated high school in 1944 with almost no boys in her class. If I had gotten the summons, and thought for one minute about ducking service, they would have hauled my butt to the induction center.

I was in my sophomore year when the lottery was implemented. I was in ROTC and had about decided to go into the advanced course starting my Junior year. However, I got a very high number in the lottery and decided to take my chances that Uncle Sam would not get to my number that year. I thought I got lucky and I guess I did. Now, however, I think not serving is one of only two significant regrets in my life.
 
#5 ·
Very interesting. I also enlisted even though the draft board gave me an exempt status due to my being the sole surviving son.
 
#6 ·
dannyd93140 said:
To young to get drafted, but in boot camp at 17 retired at 37. My first day in boot camp was the best day of my life at that point in time.
danny, you got my interest up. My impression of boot camp is that the recruits were in shock, scared, or figured this is not going to be fun. What made that first day the best day of your life? I am thinking this is one very interesting life, that you had.
 
#8 ·
JoeCool said:
dannyd93140 said:
To young to get drafted, but in boot camp at 17 retired at 37. My first day in boot camp was the best day of my life at that point in time.
danny, you got my interest up. My impression of boot camp is that the recruits were in shock, scared, or figured this is not going to be fun. What made that first day the best day of your life? I am thinking this is one very interesting life, that you had.
Really didn't have a childhood more like an existence, so I was looking forward to boot camp from about the 3rd grade on. Got on the bus never looked back. :)
 
#9 ·
Enlisted at 19 in the army in February 1969. Got the scenic tour of the highlands of Vietnam and Cambodia.

A thought on Danny's comments. A guy I knew in Vietnam was from West Virginia. He said he loved the army, (he was serious) because now he had the best food and clothes that he ever had.
 
#11 ·
Vette Jockey2 said:
Now, however, I think not serving is one of only two significant regrets in my life.
Same here, except it's the only regret I have.

My Dad was a combat vet in WWII. 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. That unit had 555 or so days of actual combat and although he was an early replacement, he was with them most of those days.

I asked for his advice on whether to join up or not and he said "Let them draft you."

Maybe my memory is faulty, but I remember going through the first two lotteries. The first one had everybody of induction age and the second one, a year later, added the men who turned 18 that year? I got high numbers, a 300+ and a 200+.

I got "lucky" but I still think serving would have been better for me.
 
#15 ·
JoeCool said:
dannyd93140 said:
To young to get drafted, but in boot camp at 17 retired at 37. My first day in boot camp was the best day of my life at that point in time.
danny, you got my interest up. My impression of boot camp is that the recruits were in shock, scared, or figured this is not going to be fun. What made that first day the best day of your life? I am thinking this is one very interesting life, that you had.
Any recruits that thought boot camp was going to be fun, were delusional idiots.

Too young to be drafted.

Enlisted for 20 years in 1988. Good times, over all. USAF.
 
#16 ·
Wildwood said:
Enlisted at 19 in the army in February 1969. Got the scenic tour of the highlands of Vietnam and Cambodia.

A thought on Danny's comments. A guy I knew in Vietnam was from West Virginia. He said he loved the army, (he was serious) because now he had the best food and clothes that he ever had.
I'm from Virginia: the secret was we didn't have anything to miss. The barracks were great, food was delicious and best of all they had chocolate milk ( I was sick from drinking to much), money in our pockets. It was a good life.
 
#17 ·
dannyd93140 said:
Wildwood said:
Enlisted at 19 in the army in February 1969. Got the scenic tour of the highlands of Vietnam and Cambodia.

A thought on Danny's comments. A guy I knew in Vietnam was from West Virginia. He said he loved the army, (he was serious) because now he had the best food and clothes that he ever had.
I'm from Virginia: the secret was we didn't have anything to miss. The barracks were great, food was delicious and best of all they had chocolate milk ( I was sick from drinking to much), money in our pockets. It was a good life.
I understand about the food. I gained 15 lbs. during basic training.
 
#18 ·
Some of you young men may have had fathers who were drafted and farmed out to fight another countries war. While we are on the subject, do any of you have ancestors who were drafted to pick another countries cotton?
 
#56 · (Edited)
I used a 'sad' like because there is not a emoji that can express what your last sentence is about.

Semper Fi

from a USAF Retired vet
 
#21 ·
Drafted into the Army in 1968. Bootcamp at Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri. AIT in Louisiana. Sent to Oakland CA awaiting transportation to Viet Nam. On the second day I was there, they needed 4 volunteers who knew how to type. My hand was up in a second with hopes of getting out of a sh*t detail. Passed typing test and next day I was on my way to Ft. Dix New Jersey with orders to Germany. After spending 3 weeks at the 21st Replacement center in Frankfurt, I was sent to Caserma Ederle in Italy near Venice. Spent my entire time there. Learning how to type proficiently in high school payed off big time.
 
#22 ·
dannyd93140 said:
I'm Irish, we haven't miss a war anywhere in the in 1200 years.
danny, I am curious what combat you saw, and how you thought about it. Also, peacetime, how did peace time affect you? My theory, peacetime can be pretty stressful, with all the idiocy that they can think up, while not actually fighting. Once you are in a combat situation, rules change, and priority converts to actually fighting, and all the other extraneous crap is largely forgotten about. Any thoughts on that?
 
#23 ·
Wildwood said:
dannyd93140 said:
Wildwood said:
Enlisted at 19 in the army in February 1969. Got the scenic tour of the highlands of Vietnam and Cambodia.

A thought on Danny's comments. A guy I knew in Vietnam was from West Virginia. He said he loved the army, (he was serious) because now he had the best food and clothes that he ever had.
I'm from Virginia: the secret was we didn't have anything to miss. The barracks were great, food was delicious and best of all they had chocolate milk ( I was sick from drinking to much), money in our pockets. It was a good life.
I understand about the food. I gained 15 lbs. during basic training.
I lost 40. Good times.
 
#25 ·
The local monument with the names of people from my town who died in Viet Nam has the inscription "Freedom is not free."

Just out of curiosity, what freedom did I lose in Viet Nam?
 
#26 ·
Yep, I was drafted. Answered the call, and served two years in the Army. Once my time was up, I got out. I appreciate everyone who served our country in the military. Many who didn't serve in the military served our country in other ways. And then, some were draft dodgers. I guess it takes all kinds.
 
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