1969 Draft

[Glennfs]

https://www.15thfar.org/draft.html

Saw a thing on FB where they showed a small part of the show. I remember very well watching it with my brother and brother in law both of whom were born in 1951 and very much draft eligible.

My brother drew 267 and was home free. My brother in law drew the last number drafted I believe it was either 95 or 195 and had to go.

I was only 11 at the time and didn't grasp the severity of the situation. I sure do now, imagine you are 18 a few months out of high school and were forced into the service for 2 years.

Anyway I thought you guys might like to see where you would have landed. My number would have been 269. Had they had a draft when I was of age I believe I would have volunteered for the Navy or Air Force as I am not much into marching or shooting people for no reason.

My brother in law was drafted into the Army and was 1 of only 2 guys in his basic training platoon thar didn't get sent to Vietnam.

I don't know the lingo so I might have platoon wrong and it might have been his boot camp barracks. I just remember him saying only 2 didn't get sent to Nam.

[Number6]

I had a draft number between 150 and 175 but I was in college and had a II-S deferment so as long as I was in college and passing I wasn't subject to the draft. One of the best things Nixon did was sign legislation ending the draft and the U.S. went to the All Volunteer force in 1973.

[Glennfs]

I had a draft number between 150 and 175 but I was in college and had a II-S deferment so as long as I was in college and passing I wasn't subject to the draft. One of the best things Nixon did was sign legislation ending the draft and the U.S. went to the All Volunteer force in 1973.

The scuttlebutt around that which I don't know is true or not is when they started drafting white kids from the middle-class and up things changed.

You are an unique guy to have volunteered during that era. Again it might not be correct but the stereotype of guys who volunteered were poorly educated people who wanted to shoot people. But, then I grew up near Kent State so that might have been a local deal.

I am surprised you weren't in some sort of officer training program.

[gounion]

The scuttlebutt around that which I don't know is true or not is when they started drafting white kids from the middle-class and up things changed.

You are an unique guy to have volunteered during that era. Again it might not be correct but the stereotype of guys who volunteered were poorly educated people who wanted to shoot people. But, then I grew up near Kent State so that might have been a local deal.

I am surprised you weren't in some sort of officer training program.

My cousin, the closest thing I had to a brother, enlisted in 1968. At the time he said “I better enlist before I get drafted”. I thought that was crazy, since the draft was only 2 years and to enlist he had to go in for three. Now, he wasn’t in college, and certainly wasn’t from an affluent family. But of course he was white. Now, he went to Korea instead of Nam. Was that because he enlisted instead of being drafted? Who knows, but could be. He also got out in 2 1/2 years.

[Glennfs]

My cousin, the closest thing I had to a brother, enlisted in 1968. At the time he said “I better enlist before I get drafted”. I thought that was crazy, since the draft was only 2 years and to enlist he had to go in for three. Now, he wasn’t in college, and certainly wasn’t from an affluent family. But of course he was white. Now, he went to Korea instead of Nam. Was that because he enlisted instead of being drafted? Who knows, but could be. He also got out in 2 1/2 years.

https://www.hullnumber.com/crew1.php?cm=CV-11

My Cousin Jim Siers SCPO on The Intrepid in 1967. He went in I believe during Korea and made a career out of it.
His brother Howard was awarded the Silver Star in Korea and was assistant comptroller of Dupont. I wonder if that helped him with his career.

[gounion]

https://www.hullnumber.com/crew1.php?cm=CV-11

My Cousin Jim Siers SCPO on The Intrepid in 1967. He went in I believe during Korea and made a career out of it.
His brother Howard was awarded the Silver Star in Korea and was assistant comptroller of Dupont. I wonder if that helped him with his career.

Not interested in bragging about someone else’s career.

[Number6]

.

The scuttlebutt around that which I don't know is true or not is when they started drafting white kids from the middle-class and up things changed.

You are an unique guy to have volunteered during that era. Again it might not be correct but the stereotype of guys who volunteered were poorly educated people who wanted to shoot people. But, then I grew up near Kent State so that might have been a local deal.

I am surprised you weren't in some sort of officer training program.

I enlisted in late 1974 under the delayed enlisted program because the career field, radio communications analysis, technical school wouldn't have an opening until the Spring of 1975. I went to basic training on Jan 31, 1975 just as the Vietnam War was ending. Technically, I'm a Vietnam Era veteran but I never served in Vietnam.

As for those who volunteered were poorly educated who wanted to shoot people, in some cases that was true. I went to the military in-processing center in Los Angles were all new enlisted members of the Army and Air Force went before heading to basic training. Having talked with a number of people entering the Army they were either there because they weren't smart enough for regular jobs and would be stuck in dead-end jobs. Others were there because a judge gave them the choice of joining the military or going to jail.

In the very late 60s or early 70s, the Congress mandated the military take in persons who scored below the minimum ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) score. It took years before most of them were either kicked out of the service or refused reenlistment. My brother was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War and decided to make it a career. In the 80s, his last assignment was as an communications instructor and he told me he'd have to fail half his class because they couldn't read and their training materials were in comic book form to make it easier for the students to understand. Today, I doubt it's anything like that and I'd guess those entering the military are better educated than those who came in the same time I did. When I came in, we had nothing similar to the technology we have today so it wasn't necessary to have people with above average intelligence. I saw quite a few people who I couldn't believe passed the ASVAB because say they were dumb would be a compliment to them. Living next to couple Navy bases I come in contact with a number of sailors from junior enlisted to senior enlisted to officers and from my anecdotal experiences I'm overall impressed with them.

[gounion]

My cousin talked about a kid he was with in basic. He had been drafted, but was loudly gung-ho about going and shooting some you-know-whats. I mean, big time. When the orders came out, my cousin got Korea, and he got Nam. My cousin said he freaked out, was shaking and crying, scared to death. My cousin was pretty sure he ran away and deserted. That’s the last he ever heard of him.

He thought that was crazy, why did the guy do that? Ah well, as they say, a long time ago and far, far away. I seem to say that a lot.

My wife just got me talking about old girlfriends earlier today. That was crazy. Hadn’t thought about most of them for many moons. Mostly wild times!

The number of guys she dated, you could count on two hands. When I told her I wasn’t even sure how many women I slept with, she just smiled and shook her head!

[Glennfs]

My cousin talked about a kid he was with in basic. He had been drafted, but was loudly gung-ho about going and shooting some you-know-whats. I mean, big time. When the orders came out, my cousin got Korea, and he got Nam. My cousin said he freaked out, was shaking and crying, scared to death. My cousin was pretty sure he ran away and deserted. That’s the last he ever heard of him.

He thought that was crazy, why did the guy do that? Ah well, as they say, a long time ago and far, far away. I seem to say that a lot.

My wife just got me talking about old girlfriends earlier today. That was crazy. Hadn’t thought about most of them for many moons. Mostly wild times!

The number of guys she dated, you could count on two hands. When I told her I wasn’t even sure how many women I slept with, she just smiled and shook her head!

It wss a totally different era. The girls we went out with were the first generation of being able to get on the pill without being married or shunned.
It was definitely a great time to be a young adult.

[Glennfs]

.
I enlisted in late 1974 under the delayed enlisted program because the career field, radio communications analysis, technical school wouldn't have an opening until the Spring of 1975. I went to basic training on Jan 31, 1975 just as the Vietnam War was ending. Technically, I'm a Vietnam Era veteran but I never served in Vietnam.

As for those who volunteered were poorly educated who wanted to shoot people, in some cases that was true. I went to the military in-processing center in Los Angles were all new enlisted members of the Army and Air Force went before heading to basic training. Having talked with a number of people entering the Army they were either there because they weren't smart enough for regular jobs and would be stuck in dead-end jobs. Others were there because a judge gave them the choice of joining the military or going to jail.

In the very late 60s or early 70s, the Congress mandated the military take in persons who scored below the minimum ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) score. It took years before most of them were either kicked out of the service or refused reenlistment. My brother was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War and decided to make it a career. In the 80s, his last assignment was as an communications instructor and he told me he'd have to fail half his class because they couldn't read and their training materials were in comic book form to make it easier for the students to understand. Today, I doubt it's anything like that and I'd guess those entering the military are better educated than those who came in the same time I did. When I came in, we had nothing similar to the technology we have today so it wasn't necessary to have people with above average intelligence. I saw quite a few people who I couldn't believe passed the ASVAB because say they were dumb would be a compliment to them. Living next to couple Navy bases I come in contact with a number of sailors from junior enlisted to senior enlisted to officers and from my anecdotal experiences I'm overall impressed with them.

75 was a great time to enlist. I had two good friends who went in the Air Force on the buddy plan in 75. They both served over 20 years. We had very few armed conflicts between 75 and 00.

The sad thing is the one guy barely got in and his job has since been outsourced. Today he would not make the grade for the Air Force and instead of living a productive life he would be regulated to a lifetime of low paying jobs.

After the Air Force he became a janitor at The Ohio State University. The other guy had to lose weight to pass the physical. During his time he matured both physically and mentally. He went from being a 5'11" fat kid to a 6"5" piece of granite. He retired an E8 and became a school teacher.

The military was a great career choice for both of them.