He posted his number was "12"!
What was your number?
Originally Posted by LexusLover
There was no draft "lottery" until 1969. Before that, you were simply "1-A", and odds were pretty good you would get drafted.
I know several guys that went and enlisted when they were sure they were going to get drafted. They actually believed that old bullshit the Army told them about....."enlist, take that 3d year, and you will get treated much better and have a much better chance of staying out of 'Nam.
Yeh, and I won't come in your mouth, either.
We draftees had a service number that started with US, instead of RA. And as time went on, we grew proud of it. I particularilly liked it when I made E-5. Just knowing you weren't even20 years old, a draftee, and an NCO just pissed all the old "Lifers" off to no end.
How many of you fellow draftees got the "six for six" speech as your time got short. That meant if you would re-enlist for 6 years, (go RA), they would give a $6000 bonus, plus a bump in grade to E-6 within a year. A lot of guys didn't read the fine print. That also made you eligible for another tour in Vietnam.
In my age group, those that were 18 to 21 between 1965 and 1969, you could get a deferment for marriage or being a full time student in college, as well as any medical condition that the Military felt like disqualified you from serving.If I remember correctly, the Lottery was instituted so as to make the system seem more "fair".
How "fair" it was probably depended on how high, or low, your number was.
I was already out when the Lottery came into being, but my younger brother was in it. His number never came up.