How'd the draft really work?

[plnnr]

Seeing several references to the Vietnam-era draft in the "nostalgic" thread, I was wondering:

Just how did the draft system work? What was the significance of your birth year? Etc.

[hflathead]

on the year you turn 18, the draft baord picks a number at random between 1 and 365 assigned to a date. 1972 I was lucky contestant # 152. Since the war in 'Nam was winding down the number wasn't that bad, so I fooled em and joined the Navy in 73. Probably one of the best moves I made, paid for college, taught me some more about life, and saw alot of the world free!

later, Tom

[tcburnett]

I fooled 'em too. I was exempt from the draft so, in the summer of '66 I joined the Marines, forever proving that I am the dumbest person in the world.

[AWB]

I avoided the Vietnam draft by being born in 1964. I didn't turn 18 until 7 years after the war was over. :D:D

[bibliophage]

As part of the lottery process during part of this period, they painted numbers on ping-pong balls, dumped them in a big vat, mixed them up, and picked the numbers. The first time they had this kind of drawing (1970) they dumped the balls into the vat by month (Jan. first, Dec. last) and didn't mix them up enough to randomize them. As a result, those born late in the year were chosen at higher rates than those chosen early. The problem was corrected in later years.

See http://www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v5n2/datasets.starr.html

[Fear Itself]

Another little known fact is that no 18 year olds were drafted for the Viet Nam police action. From the eighteenth birthday until the nineteenth birthday, eligible males were classified "1H", a holding group that would only be called in case of national emergency. Upon turning 19, eligible males were reclassified "1A".

I had lottery number 59, which was low, and would certainly have been called; fortunately, the draft law expired on July 1, 1972, just one day after I turned 19.

[yabob]

After they stopped drafting, they reclassified everybody that was eligible to 1H as well, and issued new cards. I had number 24, but was just under the wire to get classified 2s - student deferrment, which they stopped granting towards the end. That supposedly raised my eligibility age once I graduated.

[Fear Itself]

That should read July 1, 1973. Sorry for the confusion.

[Diceman]

What's the maximum drafting age? I'm in my mid twenties, which IIRC is getting pretty old as far as the Selective Service is concerned.

[bibliophage]

Under the current law, you're subject to the draft until your 25th or 26th birthday, but I don't remember which. I think it says on the back of the little card they gave you (if you still have it). I burned mine. Of course I waited until my 25th or 26th birthday to do so.

[Markxxx]

Around the Vietnam era it was 35 when they considered you too old to go. I wasn't in the draft but a lot of people I knew had low numbers. As I recal it was relatively easy (at least compard to Korea or WWII) to get out of it by staying in school or just whining.

I brougt this up before so I'll hijack the thread with it again. I wonder how easy nowadays it'd be to get out of the service by saying your gay. It certainly doesn't carry the same stigma it did back in the '70s

[Doug Bowe]

The lottery was a result of long and determined pressure to get rid of the old draft system where young men were selected by a local board. Many minorities contended that the boards did not look a bit like they did.
When I registered there were two critical dates: If you took a job and got to your 26th birthday without getting drafted you could consider yourself in the clear. If you took the 4 year college deferment (it was 4 years, period, whether you graduated or not) your eligible age became 35.
If you enlisted you'd get a shot a choosing a field of work and education (a friend of mine chose the Navy because it seemed to have the best electronic education around). If you were drafted there was a good chance you'd be sent where ever warm bodies were needed.

[retsin2000]

CNN.com has a little applet to determine if you would have been drafted based on your birthdate for the 1969 lottery at
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/13/the.draft/

[jayron 32]

Whoo-hoo! #333. No way I was gonna serve. Good thing, as I'd have probably shot myself with the gun before I'd put myself in combat.

[plnnr]

Whew! #335

[handy]

The army came to your high school & you would have to sign up. They put a table out & you'd have to wait in line & sign up. That was pretty hairy for me cuz I was watching the kids in 12th signing up & I was still in 11th. Soon as I got to 12th, no draft but they wouldn't have accepted me anyway.

[RM Mentock]

If you had to go to the applet to find your number, it didn't apply to you. Those numbers were only good for people whose birthdays were before 12/31/1950. Anybody to whom it did apply, well, they pretty much remember anyway.

For birthdays between 1/1/1951 and 12/31/1951, another lottery was held the next year.

[MadHatter]

Shit...

August 24 returns number 36..

But I have asthma... that would make me exempt... right?