When I signed up for the draft in Aug 1971

[Amazed]

You signed up for the draft?

What the **** does that mean?

There was a draft lottery from 1969 to 1975. Every American male had to 'sign up for the draft' when he turned 18. You received a letter from the government that you had to sign and return.

Selective Service System: History and Records

When I signed up in July of 67, you were required to present yourself at your local draft board. I was working in Northern Ontario when I turned 18, so was able to register by mail.
I returned to the States in November and from then on until I was drafted in April of '69 (not taken) I would occasionally visit my local draft board, sing a few bars of "Alice's Restaurant" and walk out.

9 out 10 of these folks have never heard of the song

 

[Amazed]

You can get anything you want.....

 

[Too Tall]

shortly before my 18 birthday I went to the Selective Service office ,

Had visions of ricepaddies in Nam

But I believedi n my country .

You signed up for the draft in 1971 because of what occurred at 12:30 CST on November 22, 1963.

President Kennedy's Television Interviews on Vietnam
September 2 and 9, 1963

MR. CRONKITE. Mr. President, the only hot war we've got running at the moment is of course the one in Viet-Nam, and we have our difficulties here, quite obviously.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY. I don't think that unless a greater effort is made by the Government to win popular support that the war can be won out there. In the final analysis, it is their war. They are the ones who have to win it or lose it. We can help them, we can give them equipment, we can send our men out there as advisers, but they have to win it—the people of Viet-Nam—against the Communists. We are prepared to continue to assist them, but I don't think that the war can be won unless the people support the effort, and, in my opinion, in the last 2 months the Government has gotten out of touch with the people.

Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived

In public, Kennedy had maintained the posture that a U.S presence in Vietnam was essential, to prevent "a collapse not only of South Vietnam but of Southeast Asia."

Yet Kennedy had committed only to the presence of thousands of U.S. military advisers in Vietnam, not active combatants. He wanted to help teach South Vietnam, a U.S. ally, to fight for itself against Communist-led North Vietnam.

Out of the glare of TV cameras, he repeatedly fought with U.S. generals and other hawks who wanted to replace the advisers with soldiers. He told then-defense secretary Robert McNamara that he wanted to begin withdrawing advisers by the end of 1963, and to be completely out of Vietnam by the end of 1965.

What happened after his assassination was the exact opposite: president Johnson decided to send tens of thousands of soldiers to Vietnam, believing a war could be quickly and decisively fought and won.

Johnson's gambit proved pure folly. When the war finally ended in 1975 with America's haphazard withdrawal, more than 58,000 Americans and two million Vietnamese had been killed.

Kennedy increased the number of U.S. military advisers from 800 to 16,300 to cope with rising guerrilla activity. The advisers were embedded at every level of the South Vietnamese armed forces. He introduced helicopters to the war and created a joint U.S.-South Vietnamese Air Force, staffed with American pilots. He also sent in the Green Berets. Only a fool thinks that a Green Beret can't go from being an adviser to a being a combat soldier in under 2 seconds.

All of that sounds a bit provocative if not a declaration of war.

 

[Eaglewings]

shortly before my 18 birthday I went to the Selective Service office ,

Had visions of ricepaddies in Nam

But I believedi n my country .

I did my tour in Vietnam '69-70.
Proud to have done my duty.

Tecnically we signed up because we had to.

I enlisted in the Navy because I grew up watching Victory at Sea. So, shortly after my 18th birthday I registered for the draft, a few months later I saw a Navy Recuiter.

Side note. I'm a college grad with an advanced degree and spent 32 years in LE. Lots of education and training but the best training by far was in the Butter Cup at Treasure Island.

The Butter Cup was a section of a Cruiser, we mustered on the 'deck' and were told to go below and sit or lie on a rack no other instructions. After hanging out for several minutes we heard over the 1MC the claxon followed by, "GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS THIS IS NOT A DRILL, MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!"

We looked at each other, none knowing what we were expected to do when we began to hear sounds of a battle, big guns and lots of smaller cannon fire. Soon the enitre section we were in seemed to shake and the lights went out, ice cold sea water began to fill the compartment. Guys tried the hatch at the top of the ladder and called out, "were locked in". When the water reached my chin - I'm 6' 2" - the lights came on and the water began to recede. Some guys were actually treading water holding on to stanchions.

The hatch opened and we filed out onto the deck dripping wet and sat down. We were then trained in damage control and later in the day once again went below. This time we held the water to knee level.

See: USS Buttercup is Still Sinking

For how it's done today.

God Bless you guys, my father fought in WW11 , Grandfather in WW1 and came back bald from the horror he saw.
It was the same for our Vietnam vets only you were not greeted home with the same love and support my father had. I remember how horrible it was for you.
This is why I was sooooooo against going into Iraq, to me it was the same kind of situation. Throwing these young men into a bad situation without the right equipment, coming home with 0 support even people spitting on you, like the reaction we see from High_Gravity ...
In my observations most of the homeless are mentally hurt Vietnam vets. Now we have the Iraq and Afghanistan vets coming home all messed up.

I am THANKFUL for what you did for us, I would have been drafted if I was a guy. They have called my home to talk to my son to get him in, and I hang up. No Way!

God Bless you!

 

[High_Gravity]

shortly before my 18 birthday I went to the Selective Service office ,

Had visions of ricepaddies in Nam

But I believedi n my country .

I did my tour in Vietnam '69-70.
Proud to have done my duty.

I enlisted in the Navy because I grew up watching Victory at Sea. So, shortly after my 18th birthday I registered for the draft, a few months later I saw a Navy Recuiter.

Side note. I'm a college grad with an advanced degree and spent 32 years in LE. Lots of education and training but the best training by far was in the Butter Cup at Treasure Island.

The Butter Cup was a section of a Cruiser, we mustered on the 'deck' and were told to go below and sit or lie on a rack no other instructions. After hanging out for several minutes we heard over the 1MC the claxon followed by, "GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS THIS IS NOT A DRILL, MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!"

We looked at each other, none knowing what we were expected to do when we began to hear sounds of a battle, big guns and lots of smaller cannon fire. Soon the enitre section we were in seemed to shake and the lights went out, ice cold sea water began to fill the compartment. Guys tried the hatch at the top of the ladder and called out, "were locked in". When the water reached my chin - I'm 6' 2" - the lights came on and the water began to recede. Some guys were actually treading water holding on to stanchions.

The hatch opened and we filed out onto the deck dripping wet and sat down. We were then trained in damage control and later in the day once again went below. This time we held the water to knee level.

See: USS Buttercup is Still Sinking

For how it's done today.

God Bless you guys, my father fought in WW11 , Grandfather in WW1 and came back bald from the horror he saw.
It was the same for our Vietnam vets only you were not greeted home with the same love and support my father had. I remember how horrible it was for you.
This is why I was sooooooo against going into Iraq, to me it was the same kind of situation. Throwing these young men into a bad situation without the right equipment, coming home with 0 support even people spitting on you, like the reaction we see from High_Gravity ...
In my observations most of the homeless at mentally hurt Vietnam vets. Now we have the Iraq and Afghanistan vets coming home all messed up.

I am THANKFUL for what you did for us, I would have been drafted if I was a guy. They have called my home to talk to my son to get him in, and I hang up. No Way!

God Bless you!

What reaction from me are you talking about?

 

[Ernie S.]

There was a draft lottery from 1969 to 1975. Every American male had to 'sign up for the draft' when he turned 18. You received a letter from the government that you had to sign and return.

Selective Service System: History and Records

When I signed up in July of 67, you were required to present yourself at your local draft board. I was working in Northern Ontario when I turned 18, so was able to register by mail.
I returned to the States in November and from then on until I was drafted in April of '69 (not taken) I would occasionally visit my local draft board, sing a few bars of "Alice's Restaurant" and walk out.

9 out 10 of these folks have never heard of the song

Since the late 60's, whatever I'm doing at noon on Thanksgiving stops for 18 minutes and change and I listen to "Alice's Restaurant Massacre"
To this day, most classic rock FM stations play it at noon and I have multiple recordings on all computers and even on my phone.

 

[Ernie S.]

You can get anything you want.....

'septing Alice...

 

[9thIDdoc]

How bout this one?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-DkyMXTo5Q]Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising Vietnam - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Too Tall]

We were taught that we had to obey. At 18 we signed because we thought we were adults and it was our responsibility.
With the arrival of wisdom, that changed.

I dind't want to make waves.

When you are about to turn 18- just go with the flow..................

Or, you go hide out in Paris, living in the lap of luxury.

Thank you for your service to your country.

How did an American citizen "hide out" from the draft in Paris or in the US? Joe Biden got 5 legal deferments from the draft, and I don't consider that "hiding out."

 

[regent]

Historical note:
Many WWII vets had to sign up for the draft twice, the second time in 1949, cold war and all that. Most were classified 4A, overage.

 

[Too Tall]

I did my tour in Vietnam '69-70.
Proud to have done my duty.

Another courageous man who didn't hide from the draft in Paris.

Thank you for your service to your country.

I "hid out" from the draft by enlisting in the USAF.

 

[Too Tall]

Historical note:
Many WWII vets had to sign up for the draft twice, the second time in 1949, cold war and all that. Most were classified 4A, overage.

Historical note: (I think) WWII draftees were inducted for the duration of the war plus six months.

 

[Sunni Man]

forgotten memories that haunt you every day

70-71

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InRDF_0lfHk]Paint it Black - Vietnam War - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Bfgrn]

shortly before my 18 birthday I went to the Selective Service office ,

Had visions of ricepaddies in Nam

But I believedi n my country .

You signed up for the draft in 1971 because of what occurred at 12:30 CST on November 22, 1963.

President Kennedy's Television Interviews on Vietnam
September 2 and 9, 1963

MR. CRONKITE. Mr. President, the only hot war we've got running at the moment is of course the one in Viet-Nam, and we have our difficulties here, quite obviously.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY. I don't think that unless a greater effort is made by the Government to win popular support that the war can be won out there. In the final analysis, it is their war. They are the ones who have to win it or lose it. We can help them, we can give them equipment, we can send our men out there as advisers, but they have to win it—the people of Viet-Nam—against the Communists. We are prepared to continue to assist them, but I don't think that the war can be won unless the people support the effort, and, in my opinion, in the last 2 months the Government has gotten out of touch with the people.

Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived

In public, Kennedy had maintained the posture that a U.S presence in Vietnam was essential, to prevent "a collapse not only of South Vietnam but of Southeast Asia."

Yet Kennedy had committed only to the presence of thousands of U.S. military advisers in Vietnam, not active combatants. He wanted to help teach South Vietnam, a U.S. ally, to fight for itself against Communist-led North Vietnam.

Out of the glare of TV cameras, he repeatedly fought with U.S. generals and other hawks who wanted to replace the advisers with soldiers. He told then-defense secretary Robert McNamara that he wanted to begin withdrawing advisers by the end of 1963, and to be completely out of Vietnam by the end of 1965.

What happened after his assassination was the exact opposite: president Johnson decided to send tens of thousands of soldiers to Vietnam, believing a war could be quickly and decisively fought and won.

Johnson's gambit proved pure folly. When the war finally ended in 1975 with America's haphazard withdrawal, more than 58,000 Americans and two million Vietnamese had been killed.

Kennedy increased the number of U.S. military advisers from 800 to 16,300 to cope with rising guerrilla activity. The advisers were embedded at every level of the South Vietnamese armed forces. He introduced helicopters to the war and created a joint U.S.-South Vietnamese Air Force, staffed with American pilots. He also sent in the Green Berets. Only a fool thinks that a Green Beret can't go from being an adviser to a being a combat soldier in under 2 seconds.

All of that sounds a bit provocative if not a declaration of war.

Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), as he took over the presidency after the death of Kennedy, initially did not consider Vietnam a priority and was more concerned with his "Great Society" and progressive social programs. Presidential aide Jack Valenti recalls, "Vietnam at the time was no bigger than a man's fist on the horizon. We hardly discussed it because it was not worth discussing."

On 24 November 1963, Johnson said, "the battle against communism... must be joined... with strength and determination." The pledge came at a time when Vietnam was deteriorating, especially in places like the Mekong Delta, because of the recent coup against Diem. Johnson had reversed Kennedy's disengagement policy from Vietnam in withdrawing 1,000 troops by the end of 1963 (NSAM 263 on 11 October), with his own NSAM 273 (26 November) to expand the war.

U.S. Troop levels in Vietnam War

1963 16,300

1964 23,300

1965 184,300

1966 385,300

1967 485,600

1968 536,100

1969 475,200

1970 334,600

1971 156,800

1972 24,200

The 1990s saw the gaps in the declassified record on Vietnam filled in—with spring 1963 plans for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces. An initial 1000 man pullout (of the approximately 17,000 stationed in Vietnam at that time) was initiated in October 1963, though it was diluted and rendered meaningless in the aftermath of Kennedy's death. The longer-range plans called for complete withdrawal of U. S. forces and a "Vietnamization" of the war, scheduled to happen largely after the 1964 elections.

History Matters - Vietnam Withdrawal Plans