A simple "see post 20” would have sufficed.
Not sure how to answer your question. Try kunilou, maybe.
When drafted, you were drafted into the “Armed Forces of the United States.” The Navy and Air Force never needed personnel, in part because many who were “draft bait” enlisted in the USN & USAF to avoid the Army and VN. The Marines did not require a large number of draftees to fulfill quota as its a smaller force and there were a lot of guy who just wanted to be Marines. However, as was my experience, May of '69 found the Marines looking for a few good men.
Some who enlisted in the Navy were trained as Corpsmen and were assigned to Marine units. Those guys had it as tough, if not tougher, than a front line grunt.
Agree.
My father was drafted but being a professional musician spent his time playing in the West Point marching band.
In WW2 the joke was that all army cooks were truck drivers in civilian life, while all the professional cooks were assigned to the motor pool.
There was a version with bankers and bakers also.
During my time, it was a 6 year commitment. Active, Ready Reserve, Inactive Reserve in some combination. I got drafted, Boot camp, AIT (Infantry), and when I talked to the Master Sgt after I deplaned in DaNang, he told me to stop at the PX and get some crossed sabres for my uniform because I was now Cavalry (Dismounted). My tour got cut about a month short as I was transferred to the Detachment of Casualties, but that counted toward time in country. My Regimental Commander convinced TPTB that he didn’t want to bother with a Sgt/Squad Leader who’d be declared Fully Fit For Duty 3 days before his rotation day home. And rather than have him hanging around there cluttering up the hospital, why the hell not send him back to the States? Heck, he’s got a brother who’s a married officer at Ft Campbell and he can sleep on his brother’s sofa and report to sick call there every day until he can pass the physical to get RELAD (Released from Active Duty). It worked. So, I got out after about 18 months.
My brother was 6 years older than me. When he started college, all freshmen and sophomores had to take 2 years of ROTC. No service commitment there, just the price you paid for the college deferment. He took a partial scholarship for Advanced ROTC and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (Field Artillery) when he graduated. He signed up for graduate school and got a 2 year delay until active duty. He was on a 2 year active, 4 year inactive program. Anyway, when he was finishing up grad school, he wrote the Army explaining he’d be getting his MBA and maybe Adjutant General or Finance Corps might be a better use of his training then Field Artillery. So eventually he got his orders to Basic Officer’s Field Artillery School at Ft Sill. 2 weeks before he was ready to leave, he got orders sending him to the Basic Officer’s Finance School at Ft Ben Harrison in Indianapolis.
My brother had a buddy who went through ROTC with him. His friend took the 6 year National Guard program.
All this took place during the Vietnam Era. Besides Stateside, Vietnam, and Germany, a lot of draftees got sent to South Korea also. Don’t forget them.
There were at least three major bases in Thailand that I can think of: U-tapao, Nakhon Ratchasima (aka Korat) and Udon Thani. It was a sweetheart deal for the pilots – take off from Thailand, bomb the bejesus out of Vietnam, land back in Thailand in time for Happy Hour cocktails and hookers. So many military vets stayed behind afterward that there was an active VFW post in Korat as recently as 20 years ago, and they served up decent grub. Dunno if it’s still around.
I was drafted and after basic was assigned to training in Fort Knox as a Supply Clerk. Graduated and was sent to Fort Lee to go through training as Quarter Master Supply Specialist. Graduated and was assigned as Permanent Party to Fort Ord California. Once there I was told I could not work in my MOS because it was an E-5 Slot and I was only an E-3. At that point I had been in the Army 6 months. After being assigned to several jobs including escorting prisoners my name came up on a Levy for Vietnam. I ended up assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Where I was assigned to driving a Deuce and a Half, and also was placed in a Reaction Force Unit where we performed Recon Patrols and saw combat. So I guess my point is as a Draftee you could end up anywhere.
I worked with a guy who had the bright idea of volunteering for the Navy so that he could be off on some big ship loading and unloading gear. He ended up on one of those river boats and said he had to cut a guy off of his machine gun with a machete one day when he jumped out of the trees onto his heavy machine gun.
I think you are wrong about the enlistment period. I was discharged late 1968, so it was the same era as yours. I was drafted (for what would have been 2 years active), so I went to the army recruiter to see if I could get something better. There were no enlisted service periods in ANY service of less than 3 years. Most were 6 years (IIRC, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard).
In return for signing up for a 3 year hitch instead of 2, I could be (if I qualified, and the position was available) guaranteed a particular MOS (occupation) and for the first year only, a particular location. They tested me – actually it was an audition, as a musician – in advance of signing up, and since I qualified, was guaranteed MOS 02N20, piano player.
Since I didn’t know what would be a good location, I decided to take my chances and enlisted unassigned. Colorado Springs and San Francisco locations were what I got by chance, so I didn’t do so badly!
The only way a service period for an RA (enlistee) could be shorter than 3 years was if they implemented an early-out program, which they did. Anyone who returned from overseas with under 3 months of service remaining could opt-out of stateside, and be discharged immediately. Later the 3 months was boosted to 5 months. I extended in Vietnam 42 days so I could return under that wire and be discharged early.
During the late 60s engagements in or near the Korea DMZ were fairly routine. While not as dangerous as Vietnam, American KIAs during the period were around 50 (not including KATUSAs). I think there were two infantry division stationed in South Korea at the time.
The South Korean casualties were much higher. Their casualties were dwarfed by the losses they suffered in Vietnam though.
Re: Musicat response to volunteer for the draft as a two year RA.
I am sure you could volunteer for the draft and enter the Army as a two year RA instead of a US (draftee), I could only find a few anecdotal mentions of two year RAs on google but there were not at all unusual in the Infantry.
I suspect your band MOS had any draftees in the ranks.
I believe that if you volunteered for the draft you has some choice of your induction date.
That’s a category I had not thought of – volunteering to be drafted. I didn’t know that existed. I always thought if you wanted to volunteer, you just enlisted.
Did you mean to say “…band had MANY draftees in the ranks”? Yes, we did. In basic training, we were asked to fall out and report to the band barracks for an audition if we played an instrument. Some of that group – draftees – were subsequently assigned to bands. It was then I realized that the only difference between them and me was I had to serve one more year! Live & learn, I guess.
Not true
I got drafted October 14, 1965 along with two other classmates of mine ( at age 20)
Two of us got drafted into the Navy and the other two spent their overseas in the Army in Germany.
He said that it was common wisdom at the time, not that it was an actual fact.
In one of the more…troubled…times in my life in my 20s I talked to a US Forces recruiter (can’t remember which service, if any) specifically about signing up and, you know, none of that shooting stuff, working my way to be a conductor.
I hate band music. I don’t play a band instrument, and if I did, they would check on my practice sessions every x hours. I hate practicing (sometimes, especially then), but at least I wouldn’t have to go to jail if I blew it off.
Weird times.
Just this week I got curious about what’s become of Michael Richards, who played Kramer on Seinfeld. Looking him up on Wikipedia, I saw he was drafted in 1970 and also stationed in West Germany.
He was wrong about other things as well !
If you volunteered for the draft you were NOT classified as enlisted.
All you did was tell the draft board to move your name to the top.
You then got DRAFTED soon afterwards and were no different than any other guy who got drafted.
I wonder where so many of you get your FALSE info from that you post !
something that is not true is certainly not “wisdom”
…“volunteering for the Navy”…?
enlisting?