Comments on: Live from Washington, It's Lottery Night 1969!

By: Earl

Earl — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:06:19 +0000

I was 19 on Dec.1 1969 I was barely 19 years old and the lottery drew my number 286. I remembering smiling as my 1st class petty officer said they probably wouldn't have drafted you. I just told him I wouldn't gotten to work with you then. I was kind of a smart a** back then. I was already in the Navy by them. By the way, I never served in Vietnam, but still served my country Proud I served. Support the troops.

By: Bob Ricks

Bob Ricks — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:32:23 +0000

I was told in Sept 69 that my draft board would do nothing until the lottery. They lied. I reported for induction on Nov 10. My number on lottery night was 358. My wife told me. I was in basic. Ended up in Germany and toured Europe with my wife. Very lucky.

By: gordon watts

gordon watts — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:22:23 +0000

I volunteered to join the USAF at 18 yrs. old on 11/22/68 not knowing where I would be sent for duty. On Dec. 1, 1969 my lottery number was 28 I would have been drafted for sure. Where did I do my time, 6mos. in Texas, 7mos. in Spain, and 2 1/2 yrs in Rome, Italy wearing Italian suits, living in an apt. with 2 other Airman, eating my meals in Italian resturants, and doing communications for a small detachment of the OSI at Ciampino Airport unitl I was discharged 5 mos. early in 1972. Was I lucky or what?

By: RUSS

RUSS — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:09:50 +0000

On Dec 1st 1969 I drew #277–I had 7 weeks to DEROS— Im glad to have served.

By: caroline

caroline — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:56:03 +0000

were you scared…i think you should have mentioned more what you felt. i cannot believe that you were proud of this. i would have been mad that they made me leave my bride without warning.

By: DANIEL REDMOND

DANIEL REDMOND — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:47:13 +0000

Reading the results of the first draft lottery in December 1969 was a happy day for me. I got number 352 and knew from that moment on that I'd never be drafted. Vietnam was without a doubt the dumbest, most ill-conceived and pointless conflict our nation ever got involved in and it wasted hundreds of thousands of lives if you count our dead and wounded soldiers, Vietnam veteran suicides, mental cases, etc. What was our stated purpose over there anyway? To stop South Vietnam from becoming Communist? Well it did become Communist in 1975 and who cares? Now Communist Vietnam is a trading partner with the U.S.A. and we've borrowed a trillion dollars from Communist China.

By: Robert Neil Coupe

Robert Neil Coupe — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:16:40 +0000

Despite being born in England in 1953 I also lived in the United States from 1956 to 1976, and I still remember the 1972 Vietnam War Draft Lottery night well. I was in my senior year of high school in a suburb of Buffalo, NY at the time I was involved in that draft lottery on 2 February 1972. I was one of the lucky ones to become exempt on the spot by drawing a high number, which was number 358, and I still remember jumping for joy and having a celebration beer when my mother told me my number. There was no way I wanted to fight, especially because I felt it was an unnecessary war, and I still can't blame those with low numbers who fled to Canada to dodge the draft. I would have done the same thing myself if I had the misfortune of drawing a low number. Even despite my elation of being exempt with a high number I still felt sorry for those unfortunate to get low numbers. War is cruel and barbaric in my opinion when it comes to conscription, and I still hope conscription never returns again in any country that abolished it, including Britain and USA, even though I am probably too old now for it to have any chance of affecting me if it did return..

By: Dennis

Dennis — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:28:35 +0000

The easiest way to beat the draft during the Vietnam war was to fail your pre induction physical. There was a book out at the time by David Suttler called, "Your 4F guide to the Draft." By 1970 it was in it's
5th printing and was considered a small treasure. The book was available at most college book stores.

By: R. Kronenberg

R. Kronenberg — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:38:03 +0000

This being the only lottery that I won also. Already had passed phyiscal my birthday being Sept. 14 recieive my notice for a Christmas present and left on my Mothers birthday, Jan. 19, 1970. On top of this they selected me and some others to go into the Marine Corp so off to Diego to MCRD and the Corp for 2 years

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:57:15 +0000

I knew those of us with late-year birth dates were in trouble when the 12 buckets, each with one month's capsules, were ceremoniously dumped into the glass container, one at a time, starting with January & ending with December. I also remember how poorly the capsules were stirred. The "What's your Number" link above bares this out.