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During the Vietnam War, young men gathered in college dorms and friends’ homes to listen to live TV and radio broadcasts of the U.S. Selective Service System drawing lottery numbers to determine who would and would not be drafted.During the Vietnam War, young men gathered in college dorms and friends’ homes to listen to live TV and radio broadcasts of the
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Selective Service System drawing lottery numbers to determine who would and would not be drafted.
How did the draft lottery work during Vietnam?
The first number drawn was 258 (September 14), so all registrants with that birthday were assigned lottery number 1. The second number drawn corresponded to April 24, and so forth. All men of draft age (born January 1, 1944 to December 31, 1950) who shared a birth date would be called to serve at once.
When did Vietnam draft lottery?
A lottery drawing – the first since 1942 – was held on December 1, 1969, at Selective Service National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This event determined the order of call for induction during calendar year 1970; that is, for registrants born between January 1, 1944, and December 31, 1950.
How did the Vietnam draft work before 1969?
The lottery changed the way men were drafted in two ways: The lottery altered the dates year to year. Also, prior to 1969, older men — those closer to age 26 — were more likely to be drafted. With the institution of the lottery, 19-year-olds were the first to be called. The last draft call took place in December 1972.
What number did the Vietnam draft get to?
Draft age men were assigned a number between 1 and 366, depending on their birthday. The lowest numbers were called first. This was all entirely at random. Of course, that didn’t stop some of those who were called to service from further avoiding Selective Service.
How does the draft work?
In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team selects a player, the team receives exclusive rights to sign that player to a contract, and no other team in the league may sign the player. They also require minimum and sometimes maximum salaries for newly drafted players.
Who was drafted for the Vietnam War?
Two-thirds of the U.S. military who served in the Vietnam War — and more than half of the names on The Wall — volunteered for duty. The other one-third were drafted, primarily into the Army.
How long did you have to serve in Vietnam if you were drafted?
The majority of service members deployed to South Vietnam were volunteers, even though hundreds of thousands of men opted to join the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard (for three or four year terms of enlistment) before they could be drafted, serve for two years, and have no choice over their military occupational.
What were the chances of being drafted in Vietnam?
Considering the “draft age” and the demographics of the 18 – 24 year old age cohort, your odds on actually getting drafted during the Vietnam era were probably lower than 5% (on a cohort wide basis). During WWII (which was probably the “height of drafting”) your odds on getting drafted might have been as high as 10%.
Was the 1970 draft lottery random?
Draft Lottery 1970 Story. Abstract: In 1970, Congress instituted a random selection process for the military draft. All 366 possible birth dates were placed in plastic capsules in a rotating drum and were selected one by one.
Did high school students get drafted to Vietnam?
Of those, 1.8 million men were drafted, but not all went to Vietnam. A high school student could defer being drafted until he graduated or reached the age of 20, whichever came first. A college student could defer the draft on a year-to-year basis provided he made satisfactory academic progress.
Did college students get drafted during Vietnam?
In 1965, a college education was no longer a get-out-of-jail free card for the Vietnam War. College undergraduate and graduate students were automatically awarded draft status 2-S–deferment for postsecondary education–and could not be forced to serve.
What was fighting like in the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War soldiers also struggled with boredom At times, Vietnam resembled “a hated, dreary struggle” that dragged on and on with no end in sight. Since large-scale warfare was rare, soldiers could go for weeks without encountering enemy forces, but far from being a respite, the quiet only heightened the tension.
How many Marines were drafted in Vietnam?
For Marines it had been a long and especially costly war. About 450,000 Leathernecks, mostly volunteers, served in Vietnam (42,600 were draftees). Some 13,000 were killed and 88,000 wounded (51,392 badly enough to be hospitalized).
What was the first birthday called in the draft?
The first birth date drawn that night, assigned the lowest number, “001,” was September 14.
What ages were drafted in Vietnam?
Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. Local boards called men classified 1-A, 18-1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first.
What happens if you get drafted and refuse to go?
If you get a draft notice, show up, and refuse induction, you’ll probably be prosecuted. However, some people will slip through the cracks in the system, and some will win in court. If you show up and take the physical, there’s a good chance that you’ll flunk.
What qualifies you for the draft?
The Selective Service System, otherwise known as the draft or conscription, requires almost all male U.S. citizens and immigrants, ages 18 through 25, to register with the government.
How does the draft lottery work military?
One lottery ball is drawn randomly from the machine containing those with dates marked on them, and one is then drawn from the machine containing balls with numbers 1 through 365 (366 if the draft will call men born during a leap year) marked on them.
Was the Vietnam draft fair?
The draft for the Vietnam War brought with it anxiety and anger to many American households. The draft was viewed as unequal because the working class man’s only choice was to go to war, while the wealthy men would go to college or enlist in the National Guard.
Can you be drafted if you are the only son?
the “only son”, “the last son to carry the family name,” and ” sole surviving son” must register with Selective Service. These sons can be drafted. However, they may be entitled to peacetime deferment if there is a military death in the immediate family.
Did the Vietnam War officially end?
In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement, ending open hostilities between the two nations. War between North and South Vietnam continued, however, until April 30, 1975, when DRV forces captured Saigon, renaming it Ho Chi Minh City (Ho himself died in 1969).
