Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to So it's true! You extreme leftwing fanatics live in the past,.

Draft
TB — (archived)

Even back then, I was libertarian enough to be opposed to any form of forced government conscription, military or not, and still oppose any attempts to bring back the draft.

I had a lot of sympathy for those who figured out ways to avoid it legally, but was also aware that others were picking up their load. For the record, only about a third of Vietnam-era veterans entered the military through the draft, compared to about two-thirds in WWII.

Myself, I was part of the "draft number" deal. My number was going to be drawn while I was in college, so I got into the college Air Force ROTC program. For the first year (or maybe it was two) the ROTC was essentially "optional," you could drop it without penalty. After that, you went into the Air Force. My number would be drawn during the "trial" period. I figured if I got a low number, at least I'd go into the military in a more controlled manner than I would otherwise.

I got a high number, and just didn't sign up for later years of ROTC (I finished the "optional" class). I found the experience useful, and learned a lot. My eyes were too bad too be a pilot, thought.

My little brother, ironically, went to the Air Force Academy, and did our family proud until he retired a couple of years ago. He flew C-5s during the first Gulf War.

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