Reflection 2: The Final Draft—Life Under the Vietnam War Draft

During the Vietnam War, the US government implemented a randomized national lottery for men aged 18 to 26, where birthdates were assigned a number from 1 to 366 to determine the order of compulsory military service. If your lottery number was called, you were required to report to a local draft board for physical and mental evaluations; passing these meant receiving a mandatory induction notice unless you secured a specific deferment or exemption.

For this reflection, consider the psychological weight of this system on young Americans. If you were eligible for the draft, how would the "life-or-death" nature of the lottery—given that the average age of those killed in action was only 23—affect your decisions regarding deferment or draft-dodging? If you were ineligible as a woman, how would you have felt knowing your peers, friends, or partners were at high risk, and what advice would you give a male peer facing a 1-in-10 chance of being wounded or killed in combat? And in general, what might your formative years in high school and college have been like in the shadow of the Vietnam War?

 Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Seven Ways Americans Avoided the Draft During the Vietnam" (History.com)
• "r/AskOldPeople: What Was it Like to be Drafted for the Vietnam War?" (Reddit)
• "The Draft and the Vietnam War" (Students of History)
• "Vietnam Stories: When I Received My Draft Notice, I Chose to Enlist" (Concord Monitor)
• "Eight Gripping Facts About the Vietnam War Draft" (Mental Floss)

Required:

• MLA Style, including works cited
• 500 words (≈2 pages)

Due: Fri 3.20 (via Canvas)