Draft Stories

While writing a new book, I’ve come up with a situation that calls for my main character to get drafted into the military. Problem is, as you might have guessed by my location alone, is that I’ve never been alive for a draft, and my information regarding this subject is very limited. None of my family was drafted, and not many adults I know were drafted, or at least, they won’t admit to it. I was hoping that there would be some Dopers from the Vietnam (or maybe even earlier) era that were drafted or knew of somebody who was drafted in hopes that they could relate their story so I could get a better idea of what exactly happened when somebody was drafted and what you’d have to go through if you were drafted. Could somebody help me, please?

This could possibly go in GQ, but it seemed to me as everybody expierience would be different, so there wouldn’t be one, single factual answer. Besides, this thread could spur some sort of discussion between veterans.

It’s more like registering for the first day of class at junior college than anything else.

You go to an induction center, fill out forms, take tests, wait, repeat. This continues for hours.

I suggest you rent the movie Alice’s Restaurant and strip away the absurd parts from the induction scene.

How do you find out you’ve been drafted, though? What kind of emotions or images run through one’s mind as they get the notice, or even taking the tests? That’s the kind of thing I’m looking for. I appreciate being educated on the actual process of it, but I guess I’m more interested in the human element of it. Sorry if I was unclear in the OP.

Well check this link: http://www.landscaper.net/draft.htm and see if it can’t help some.