I was just wonderin

my # was 269...........was good..........

My draft number was 6. Draft board said they would get me 2 weeks after I graduated college so I joined ARNG along with my brothers. My brother in law also joined the same unit before the draft numbers were announced. His turned out to be 366 ( leap year that year). He was one sick so and so after that announcement. I do know they gave out teaching deferments but I don’t know about cops.

My draft number was 354

How high did they draft?

I was wondering how high the numbers went too.

Depends on the year

I was #33 in 1969

Don't know about a police uniform, but I wore an ROTC uniform from '65 to '69 and it kept me out of the draft, LOL!

I did have to take the pre-induction physical THREE times, though. They kept trying to draft me, even though I was already enrolled in ROTC. No amount of arguing or official correspondence from my unit commander kept me from taking that damn physical. They always said, just take it and we'll work out the issue later.

Sweet....
Repeat across America during that time frame.
Little hometown units and the word per friends and family.
Even better to join during high school and do split op.
Even better to complete the full MSO of 8yrs as a drilling guardsmen than do 4yrs drilling then 4 yrs inactive gaurd.
Totally untouchable once that 8 yr MSO is completed.

Thank you for your service.




Hey Wabigoon you didn't even go to college right????
Just stayed on the Farm all safe and sound.
Thank you for your service also.....

Of course it would.
Especially if friends or family got ya in like Flynn.
Critical job exemption stuff.
One of about a dozen get out of the draft ways if one just does some simple Google Fu....

I dunno, but at least one guy back then got drafted right out of the Peace Corps.

I didn't care what the number was; I got drafted and that was that! I didn't much like it at the time but I have come to believe everyone should have to serve the country in some capacity. We should earn or re-affirm our rights as citizens. There should be no exemptions. Many of the people who govern us today, have never served. GD

I googled that question. It said 215 was highest number called for physical 1970 to 1976

Many of the people serving todays also shouldn't. They're a drag on the service and they volunteered to be there. Can't imagine it getting better when forced into being there.

IIRC, 125 was drafted, from there up to 250 was "could be" and above that was "would not be drafted". Of course, that was in Nov/Dec '69 so my memory may be a little off.

In the three years in which you might be sent to Vietnam, 1970, '71 and '72, they ran right up to #90 in January. And that was about it. They did go up to #120 in 1970. Higher numbers had to take the physical, but were not drafted.

My brother got drafted in early 1972 and they were bringing the troops out of Vietnam, he was sent to Germany.

My dad got drafted in 1959 fresh outta high school.
He didn't join the national guard to avoid it prior.

Trained as a Nike Missle guy or some schit like that IIRC.
Played baseball in Germany for some Division team against other teams.
Thats all he did....
What a pogue......

But at least he didn't look for a way out of the draft.
I gotta give him that...

Drew 284 in 1970.

I drew #40. I was a senior in college, fresh out of deferments. By this time, people were realizing that the war had nothing to do with freedom or patriotism. It was all a political game. I joined the Nat. Guard.

Staying safe and exempt...
Musta been a wholesome experience among all the others in those guard units.

That spoken and unspoken common bond between all the turds in those units back then..
One level of "honor" above those who went to Canada....

Enlisted, had no use for those that evaded service.

Phil

Cats that had a draft# back then and didn't play the system out of fear for self interest and self preservation.

But woulda have served on AD if their # came up....

#respectforya

Oh my...
Even GayGhost the Liberal Socialist Democrat chimes in..

Talk about a Burn.......

I could never see what Viet Nam had to do with serving the country. If you had an engineering degree you could usually prevent the draft by doing something the DOD considered more valuable than being a soldier. And it paid more.

renegage50;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope the day down in your section of Tennessee is getting decent weather and you're well.

Over the years I've worked with at least two people who came up here to avoid the draft and stayed. If one can trust the wiki sources for this sort of thing, they suggest that between 20,000 and 40,000 US citizens drifted north to do so.

What a lot of folks don't know is that roughly the same number of Canadian young men drifted south and joined the US forces. They don't know that number either because it was if not a common practice, not unheard of for young US men to trade identities with Canadians, along with some cash likely too sometimes.

I worked with a couple Canadian Vietnam vets, but as they never volunteered how it was they ended up there I didn't press them so don't know the details.

One fellow I heard interviewed on local radio did that - went down to Oroville, WA, was paid a small amount to take the documents from a young American fellow there and went on to do 2 tours in country. He then was discharged, went north across the medicine line and assumed his old identity. When the reporter asked him why he did that, he said life wasn't great at home and there were few prospects in the small BC town he was in, so he felt he had nothing to lose going to see the world and live life sort of thing.

Anyways sorry for the diversion, but it's something a lot of folks on both sides of the border are unaware of.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

Actually, in the unspoken pecking order that existed back then, the late 60's buildup, at least in my experience....National Guard, Army Reserve were held in about the same level of contempt as the draftees. And they paid in small ways for the lack of trust, the inherent suspicion that went with the prefix on their service number. The Regular Army guys (voluntary enlistment) were given preference in jobs and duties, more responsibility, little perks etc. The pecking order kinda sorta went RA, 3 yr hitch regular army...US, 2 yr conscript...ER, 6 mo active duty reservist...NG, 6 mo active duty national guard. There were exceptions of course...good NCO's watched their troops, and the conscripts who were willing 'to get with the program', learn, work hard, were treated well. Guard and Reserve were considered a lost cause since they were always considered short timers, serving only 6 months active duty...placeholders, drones, labor.
After Tet, reserves were called up to go in country, but they were mainly transportation, quartermaster and support units I think.

Or I'm pretty sure many would have paid for a substitute if allowed to back then here in the states.

Just like during the Civil War.....

To avoid even the icky national guard option....

1969 I was a senior in high school and the drummer from my garage jam band was in Nam and sending me letters.

Without going in the military, I already knew the Viet Nam war hand signals for boom boom and weed.

I was born in 73 and served in the Navy from 91-94 as a Missle Technician on submarines. On my boat I was standing watch one night talking to the COB who was ending his 25 year career. I asked how he ended up on submarines in 1969? He said his draft number came up so he went and joined the navy and told the recruiter he wanted a job with zero chance of going to Vietnam so they made him a Nav ET on boomers. After learning this from him it turned out three old senior chiefs on the boat had also done the same thing.

Skilled trades AND skilled trade apprenticeships were legitimate draft deferments back in those days.

Good friend's older brother (former Army Special Forces), strongly advised him to do everything he could to avoid military service as long as he could while the Vietnam thing was going on.

Friend went to a Jr. college for as long as he could, then got accepted in a paint and body repair apprenticeship program at a local new car dealership. Went on to own his own paint and body repair shop for years.

Wow

You could paint pearlescent flames on chivy lowriders and avoid mil service?

I have an uncle that was drafted after he graduated college with bachelors degree. My other uncle, joined the USMC instead of being drafted. Uncle that was drafted told his brother that joined the USMC he’d be out of the Army before the one in the Marine’s enlistment was up, and sure enough he was. My uncle that was drafted said, said when he got to Vietnam they asked everyone he came in with that day if anyone could type. He said he was the only one that raised his hand, so he was sent to the Stars and Stripes to work there. He said all of his buddies he came in with all were KIA in action and that typing saved his life. Uncle in the USMC, said he never stepped foot in Vietnam and spent the majority of his enlistment on ships in the Bermuda Triangle.

My dad had rope burns on his right hand that left his fingers permanently bent. He said he really wanted to be a Marine, and they told him no, as they said he couldn’t shoot a gun with bent fingers. He told the recruiter he could shoot his deer rifle with no problems, but was still a no go. He then said he tried to join every other branch and they all said no. This was during the Korean War, so my dad decided to become a diesel mechanic instead.

I am breaking a cardinal rule of mine by posting as I tend to get into arguments I would rather not.

First, Rene thank you for the acknowledgement.

I was one of thousands of kids in a crap hole town with no prospects. I tried to join, they offered me ASA based on test scores, however I was turned down as I was 3Y after the physical. I had cosmetic surgery, it fixed nothing, but hid the problem. I still would have been 3Y.

The following year I was a low number, was called for a physical, and the doctor thought the operation scars were from a fight. I was 1A after the physical. I was drafted without binocular vision. My doctor wanted me to fight it, I refused.

When my number was called, I had been married 18 months.

Again, I was offered ASA based on test scores. I replied that they could do with me what they wanted, but I would not hide in a safe spot while another draftee went into harm's way in my place. No clerk's office or supply, or kitchen because I was afraid to face fate.
I was 21 when I was sent on a hardship tour. Drugs were horrible, the mess hall was worse. For about 6 months I stole a can of dog food from the guard dog supply and heated it for dinner. At first, I was laughed at, but soon I had most of the platoon joining me for dinner.

We were allowed two hours of heat per day, one in the morning, one in the evening. Most of us spent the winter wrapped in blankets like ponchos as winter clothes did not arrive until spring.

At 65 I went to apply for VA benefits, and I was means tested out of them.

I stood and said I could take whatever they threw at me. Most of the RA's looking down on the US were ones who were peeking out from behind the kitchen door, or the supply room and were looking down on the draftee not because he was drafted, but because he had bigger balls.

My best friend joined the navy out of high school. He did 2 tours on Nam on a carrier. He told me that the 1st time they approached the Nam coast he knew exactly what it was all about. It was Johnson getting our guys killed to protect those oil wells owned by his buddies. It wasn't about freedom or communism. It was about oil and big money.

Number 15 here but I had been offered an NROTC scholarship and accepted it just the Friday before the first lottery. That lengthened my obligated service after commissioning but as long as I stayed in good standing academically, I wouldn’t be drafted. I ended up staying 21 years. 😁

As an apprentice accepted in an approved apprenticeship program, yep... Same for apprenticeships in Tool & die, Plumber, Electrician, Heavy equipment operator, etc., etc., etc., etc.



https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=OLSF19520711.2.29&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

Did I miss the VarmintReply??

I was anti military when they would draft me in 1969. Then in 1970 the draft medical exam threw me out for double vision. Then my draft number was too high.

But from 1982 to 1987 I worked on USAF fighter electronics design sub sub contracts... and was pro military. The USAF contracted with General Dynamics for the F16. General Dynamics would sub contract for a system like radar warning. The sub contractors would send to sub sub contractors [whatever little company hired me] a request for quotation on the power supply design. Typically $250k non recurring engineering and $1000 per cigar box sized power supply in manufacturing quantity of 100. Typically lose money the first 5 years but make big profits the second 5 years.

My father was in the army 1944-1946 and worked on Army design contracts [mostly from Detroit Arsenal M55, M107, M110] from 1948 to 1986. He had a draft deferment from 1941 to 1944 for both being in ROTC and a war job doing sheet metal work on ships.

My cousin and I joined the Navy under the buddy program. He failed the physical and was taken later after passing physical through our family Dr. So, we went our separate ways. We met one more time in San Diego loading ordinance before I shipped out to Vietnam and we partied like cousins do. A month later he fell from the bridge of his ship 40' and survived, but was never the same. His draft number was 260 something.

Mo Highway Patrol had a few officers drafted in the late 60's. None were married/ children. A few of them returned after service obligations. GW

renegade50;
Good afternoon to you once more, I still hope you're well and the day is behaving for you.

I'm down from a mountain lake where I drilled a hole in the ice and watched yellow perch ignore my best offerings for a second time this year, but any day fishing and all that right?

You mentioned the Civil War and again a lot of folks don't realize how involved Canada was in that event.

From a total population of perhaps 1.5 million, more than 50,000 Canadians went south to fight, not all on the side of the Union either.

There were spy rings operating in Victoria - Esquimalt only then, Halifax and Montreal.

Jefferson Davis' family stayed in Montreal and he joined them in 1867 for awhile.

When things get loud the border doesn't mean that much or so it's been historically anyways renegade.

Best to you all again.

Dwayne