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10 years 5 months ago #40074 by NightForce
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Ranchwagon wrote: Maybe, it was SSN in 1969, when did the draft start 1968 (I can't remember anymore)?


I think it started somewhere around 1968 or 1969. I was drafted in 1972 and my number was 41. If you do a little research you be able to decipher my actual birth date.... :usa:

SSN = Serial Number

I have no idea when the draft ended though...sorry

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10 years 5 months ago #40076 by OleCowboy
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Draft had been with us since WWII at least. The largest draft call in our history was in Jan '67, yes bigger than WWII. Somewhere in the early 70's the draft migrated to a lottery system, then was abandoned altogether when the Army went to what was called VOLAR (VOLunteer ARmy).
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10 years 5 months ago - 10 years 5 months ago #40078 by NightForce
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OleCowboy wrote: Draft had been with us since WWII at least. The largest draft call in our history was in Jan '67, yes bigger than WWII. Somewhere in the early 70's the draft migrated to a lottery system, then was abandoned altogether when the Army went to what was called VOLAR (VOLunteer ARmy).


Cowboy, I had no idea it had been around all that time. I guess I became aware of it because of my age but you're right, the lottery system brought it front and center for me...I "think" they were still taking up to 170 or so....

So long ago yet it feels like yesterday.....
Last edit: 10 years 5 months ago by NightForce.

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10 years 5 months ago #40079 by jtallen83
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Wasn't the change to the lottery more of a political move on Nixon's part than a real change? I know I had older cousins that volunteered because they were sure they were coming up in the lottery, could be they just told the mothers this to get the OK from them.......the military was a right of passage for my family, nobody wanted to say they had been drafted. The family get togethers before the flights to basic were as important as any wedding or funeral. Now I'm looked as a troublemaker when I suggest service for the young ones..........

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10 years 5 months ago #40096 by OleCowboy
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jtallen83 wrote: Wasn't the change to the lottery more of a political move on Nixon's part than a real change? I know I had older cousins that volunteered because they were sure they were coming up in the lottery, could be they just told the mothers this to get the OK from them.......the military was a right of passage for my family, nobody wanted to say they had been drafted. The family get togethers before the flights to basic were as important as any wedding or funeral. Now I'm looked as a troublemaker when I suggest service for the young ones..........

Yes you are right, Nixon was appeasing the far left anti-war crowd. As someone who is certainly a child of the 60's, who were these people? For one they are the same far left crowd that is todays radical left, nothing changed there.

I went to college after Vietnam, from DMZ to campus to say it was a shock would put it mildly. So I wandered thru them like chit thru a goose. In a world of late teens and young 20 year olds, I was a BIG guy, definitely in shape on my 6'2" frame from 14 mo in the boonies. Add to that a low tolerance for some long hair with the American flag sewn to the azz of his jeans and I was a force to be dealt with in and out of the class room.

There were 3 of us on campus who were combat vets, me, another Army guy who was Infantry and Tom, Tom was a Navy SEAL and had done 3 tours in Vietnam out of his 4 years in the Navy. I was the tall big guy, Tom looked like a fire plug, wide as he was tall, built like a brick wall, he was a short guy but as wide as he was short. Today he would be drafted as a top running back. Tom has less tolerance than I did. Saw Tom take a folding chair and u shape it on some long hair in our English Lit class one day. Long hair got mouthy with the teacher whose brother was shot down in Vietnam and a POW. I suspect long hair is still wearing that folding chair as a necklace. Long hair did get a free ambulance ride for it...LOL

They like they are today were a bunch of whining, sniveling yellow stained cowards so scared of getting drafted and going to Vietnam they were willing to burn down my ROTC buildings.

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10 years 5 months ago #40097 by jtallen83
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Reading this sends me back to my childhood. I hear the echos of my Grandfather yelling at a hippie, "Get the hell out of here you :censored: long haired freak!" He was a life-long democrat but had zero tolerance for anything as liberal as an anti-war protester.
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10 years 5 months ago #40121 by Libertarian623
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My old paramedic partner has been in the teams now 21 years and counting. He is still in great shape , but has taken a beating over the years. Many broken bones and other injuries . But to his credit he always comes back strong. Last year he had a lacerated liver, leaking spleen, collapsed lung and broken ribs, broken arm and redeployed in some capacity within 90 days if that is not incredible I don't know what is.

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10 years 5 months ago - 10 years 5 months ago #40122 by JustMe
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I remember it being a very unfair time. The politicians were able to keep their sons out of the draft by getting them jobs with the Forest Service and Peace Corps. You said the lottery draft went to 170 which isn't exactly correct. The big cities complained that too many of their sons were being drafted so the draft went after the farm boys. In my farm community they were drafting past number 250 in the lottery, but it was less than number 100 out of the big cities. The whole draft was very unfair during Vietnam, and I'm sure was a cause of going with the all volunteer force. Many of our current politicians ran to Canada and were allowed to re-enter the USA after the war. Look what's happening with that traitor Jane Fonda. She stepped over the traitor line when she stopped being just a protester (which was OK) and gave a smuggled list of POW names to the Vietnamese captors. Also when she participated in their propaganda advertising in the New York Times, etc. I remember being directed not to travel in our uniforms for fear of conflicts. I hate hippies to this day. Protesting against the war was OK, but targeting us draftees was unconscionable.
Last edit: 10 years 5 months ago by JustMe.
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10 years 5 months ago #40128 by Siscowet
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JustMe wrote: I remember it being a very unfair time. The politicians were able to keep their sons out of the draft by getting them jobs with the Forest Service and Peace Corps. You said the lottery draft went to 170 which isn't exactly correct. The big cities complained that too many of their sons were being drafted so the draft went after the farm boys. In my farm community they were drafting past number 250 in the lottery, but it was less than number 100 out of the big cities. The whole draft was very unfair during Vietnam, and I'm sure was a cause of going with the all volunteer force. Many of our current politicians ran to Canada and were allowed to re-enter the USA after the war. Look what's happening with that traitor Jane Fonda. She stepped over the traitor line when she stopped being just a protester (which was OK) and gave a smuggled list of POW names to the Vietnamese captors. Also when she participated in their propaganda advertising in the New York Times, etc. I remember being directed not to travel in our uniforms for fear of conflicts. I hate hippies to this day. Protesting against the war was OK, but targeting us draftees was unconscionable.

:I-agree:
When you start going through the list of modern day celebrities who worked to avoid the draft, amazing how many politicians are on the list, Republicans, and far right, as well as to the left.

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10 years 5 months ago #40147 by OleCowboy
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What is interesting is that any celeb, sports figure etc etc can get into a soft job in the military. To this day I have no respect for Mohammad Ali, he was NOTHING but a draft dodger. The 2 years he would have spent in the Army would have had him traveling all over the world putting on demo fights, teaching soldiers to box you name it.

Elvis on the other hand was a good soldier...

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