In my previous blog, I spoke of my fear of growing up to be
drafted and sent to Vietnam. I also had
a fear that my big brother would also end up being sent and would die. My brother is 9-years older than me, and was ripe
for selection in 1969. He was attending
college at the time and when he read my blog he shared his own perspective of
that same time period.
On Dec 1, 1969, the U.S. conducted a live broadcast of the
draft lottery on TV. I’ve included a
link to that same broadcast as presented that night. CBS News Lottery Draft - 1969 I could only imagine the anticipation and
fear of young men all across the country as they witnessed that event. But with his permission, I present to you my
brother’s own account of his thoughts and feelings. His memory of that day is far superior than
my own.
“Don't know if you we're ever aware of the end of the
traditional draft system, to a "lottery" system during the Vietnam
War. The purpose was to more fairly draft men for service. It had been made widely known that the
"lottery" numbers would be drawn on live TV (there were only the
three major networks) on the evening of Dec. 1, 1969.”
“I was living in the men's dormitory, and we all gathered in
the "TV Room" to watch. (No TV's allowed in dorm rooms.) The entire
dorm population was there with most having to stand. Birthday dates were drawn out of a large bowl
and announced. The birth dates were placed in the sequence drawn beside the
numbers 1-366. The first date drawn
would be the first men called up for the draft as need and so forth. Expectations stated beforehand were that the
first hundred numbers picked could expect to receive draft notices in a
relatively short time. Numbers 101-200 might receive notices at a future time.
Numbers 201-366 were considered fairly safe.”
”The TV room was completely silent as the drawing began. No
one spoke or showed any emotion. As someone's birth date would be selected in
the first group of 100 we would see them silently and quietly leave the
area. Many guys immediately began
packing their belongings into their cars throughout the night and early
morning, then simply drove away, never to be seen or heard of again. I clearly
recall watching the exodus out of my third floor dorm window.”
“It was one of the most emotional experiences I've ever been
witness to and affected by. It was the saddest day I ever spent during my
education. The silence and sense of doom was like a smothering fog over the
whole campus. Those of us left behind of course breathed a sigh of relief for
our own good fortune. I had drawn a 206 and posted that number on my dorm room
wall as a reminder of what had just happened.”
“As my college education continued over the next three
years, I also recall young men who had completed their military service in
Vietnam and returned to enroll in school.
I distinctly recall how quiet, unassuming, and seriously studious they
were. They were never rowdy, and never
goofed around, and just seemed generally more mature than the rest of us. They had already grown up, and seen things I
never would.”
Thanks to my big brother for sharing that experience. As I watched the video clip…suddenly
there it was…MY birthday; July 7.
Although I was too young to have been drafted, my brother’s recollection
of that event made my imagination of how I would have felt that night even more
real. My birth date was lottery number
050. I would have been in the first
group.
Whether by providence, luck or random chance, some were
called…and some were not. I am a product
of an all-volunteer military and was proud to serve. In the end, my brother was not called, and
did not die as I had feared. For that I
am thankful. I pray we never have to
force military service on anyone ever again.
Papa Chief
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