Viet Nam Draft Lottery 1971-72

chiefr

How many of you remember them?
How many of you remember the significance of July 1 1973?

jimdeere

282.

discusdad

362 in 1971. my best friend and neighbor 365...i think the draft took those up to 90 that year.

spasmcreek

yepper my number was 31 and used to listen every night to the news of our body count.....stupid not in any way necessary waste.....and years later when all was said and done how many american companies were lining up to do business there.....SHAMEFUL action over the 58000 dead and ????wounded for NOTHING

varian

i was drafted in 1969, couple years before the lottery. seemed at the time that they picked a large number of us hillbillies given our population.

Rocky Raab

You're wrong, spasm. The fact that Vietnam effectively abandoned communism only a few years after they took over, and that it is now a feverishly capitalist country proves that we won that war. It was not for nothing.

I was there in 1971.

spasmcreek

well i remember all the school, college and business types got shipped out to the boonies to be worked or starved to death while the nv ruled the country. and later even a number of NV managed to slip into the USA...i do not know how capitalistic SVN is now but watching this all go down had a real impact on me watching from a distance ...and especially disheartening was how bad our returning soldiers were treated .....i thank those here for their service ...years later they had a smaller version of the WALL come to Wichita , but i could not make it there and still wonder what i could have said to those named there while standing in front of it that would help them or make me feel any better about it ???????? i still remember

bustedknee

I received a high number so I volunteered.

Thus began the adventure....

Rocky Raab

It was not a good war, spasm. I agree fully with that. It was mishandled, micromanaged, and politically bungled from the start. And disgracefully ended as well. How we vets were treated after returning remains a blot on our history. At worst, one could say it ended in a draw whereas we could have decisively won it at several points. The government we were trying to save there was almost as corrupt as the one that took over. And in extreme hindsight it may have been a mistake to get involved there at all.

Except that the "domino theory" was proving to be scarily accurate. Small countries all over the globe were being forcefully accumulated by communism. It had to be stopped somewhere. Vietnam was that place. Not the best choice, perhaps. But a successful one at last.

mjrfd99

#3

Mr Lucky.

babun

Got my draft card the last year of high school. 1973. I turned 18 in Feb. 1974. I think my parents would have told the Selective Service Dept. to eat shiiittt, if I was called up.
My older brother was already there for the last 2 years. And my father, a WW2 vet, saw have bad our government was "running" the war.

gearheaddad

Rocky Raab wrote:

It was not a good war, spasm. I agree fully with that. It was mishandled, micromanaged, and politically bungled from the start. And disgracefully ended as well. How we vets were treated after returning remains a blot on our history. At worst, one could say it ended in a draw whereas we could have decisively won it at several points. The government we were trying to save there was almost as corrupt as the one that took over. And in extreme hindsight it may have been a mistake to get involved there at all.

Except that the "domino theory" was proving to be scarily accurate. Small countries all over the globe were being forcefully accumulated by communism. It had to be stopped somewhere. Vietnam was that place. Not the best choice, perhaps. But a successful one at last.

My Next Door neighbor(my Best friends Dad) was a retired Major in the Army. I spent many hours speaking with "Uncle Jack" about Viet Nam and his other assignments. And Rocky, you are spot on to what he used to say!
He said he would have stayed in another 8-10 years if it wasn't for the political involvement in Viet Nam. And the amount of dishonesty from trying to hide "mistakes".
I was born in 1959, I never even needed to register for the draft.
Thank you to all who served, my family deeply appreciates your service.

ltcdoty

I had already been in the Air Force for three years, an aircraft electrician.

Smitty500mag

Draft Number Calculator. First drawing 12/01/1969 was September 14th.
https://www.usatoday.com/vietnam-war/draft-picker

wpageabc

238 and 1A in 1971. Off to college never called. Gramps and dad being Army vets advised to enlist. With all the bad press and misinformation on what was happening opted out of joining.

Hats off to those who serve and have served. In retrospect thinking the Israel model where everyone, both men and women are required to give 2 years minimum service to country is what is needed here. Seems unfair for some families to bear the burden of separation of loved ones and not others, under our plan.

pulsarnc

I was born deaf in one ear so service was never an option for me . However when the numbers are picked in 1974 for the class of 1955 my birthdate , April 5th was number 23. Truly respect those who have served and continue to do so .

kimi

My hat is also off to everyone who did not serve, for whatever reason, that supported those of us who chose the military profession. It was greatly appreciated back then as it is right to this moment. Thanks to each of you, as I remember the love and admiration that all of the old timers from my childhood days had for our WWII and Korean War vets, a great many of whom never served themselves. I know that such feelings have not changed where good people are concerned.

Brookwood

I actually envy all you guys who remember your numbers on the draft cards!

Out behind the chow hall at Lackland AFB, a bunch of us basic airmen were sneaking a smoke. There was only one match to share and it was getting close to burning the guy's finger. I dug my draft card out of my wallet and lit it off his match to finish lighting everyones cigs.

I was an enlisted rebel. :roll: :roll:

TooBig

Got drafted in Aug 65 at the start of building our forces for Nam and just before the rush started. Fort Lost in wood was about empty when I went to basic but when I left basic it was wall to wall . 7th army for me in Europe

longspur rider

If I remember right mine was 306. I enlisted before the #"s came out with a high school buddy.
He lost an eye & got a med discharge after 1 year. I served 2 yrs active 3 yrs reserve.
wouldn't had to serve, or my buddy either. Don't regret my decision, although I did at the time.

Old-Colts

I joined the Navy in 1967 and 4 years later, 1971, I was going through SERE, DWEST, and E2 Hawkeye Weapons Systems and Flight Training at NAS North Island, Coronado, CA. I joined my Squadron, VAW-115, when they returned from their 1971 deployment to the Tonkin Gulf. In 1972 it was back to the Tonkin Gulf again for VAW-115, but this time I got to join in and be an official participant in the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club and flying the friendly skies of Vietnam.

chiefr

I became of age the last year of the lottery, by then the war was nearly over. Nixon signed laws limiting number of those drafted in 71 and the draft was ended at the end of 72/first of 73. My number when eligible was 56. I joined later.

Surprised no one remembered POTUS Nixon signed the AVF into law creating the All Volunteer Forces.

I served under Carter who was a walking/breathing and IMHO, disaster, worse than even Barrack Hussein O.

Edspdog1

Draft number 13, Class 1-A. physical taken and passed, bags packed an then police action came to an end along with draft, whew.

shilowar

I was born in August of 72 so I just barely missed the draft!

gearheaddad

TooBig wrote:

Got drafted in Aug 65 at the start of building our forces for Nam and just before the rush started. Fort Lost in wood was about empty when I went to basic but when I left basic it was wall to wall . 7th army for me in Europe

I think my Dad was in the 7th Army in Europe during Korea.
"7 Steps to Hell"?

hobo9650

In 1973, I had already completed 6 years overseas, in three different countries.

Never received a draft card since I enlisted after school graduation.

Received a notice in 1961 that if I did not show up for my physical, I would be drafted. Replied to them "Go ahead and draft me.
I am currently an NCO stationed in Texas". All quite since then.

I still have trouble wrapping my head around Aug 2, 4, and Aug 7, 1964 on the so called Gulf of Tonkin. Hope Johnson in hell.

gruntled2

Glad I got it over with before the war started. I wasn't too happy when I was recalled in 1961 but at least I was out for the second time in 1962.
I said at the time we would soon be involved in a no win war & described pretty much what was going to happen.

shilowar

My Dad was in the NAVY from 59-69. Back then physicians had to serve two years in the military.