SwiftVets.com

[Hueygunner]

Keep punching Kerry with all you got. I talked to an elderly friend today, and out of the blue, she said some choice vile words about John Kerry. She said her father was a veteran of World War One and that she wasn't going to vote for the SOB because of what he did to Vietnam Vets. Kerry did more than dishonor Vietnam Vets, he offended ALL American Vets!

[Harley90]

Breath in....breath out.
Remember, vietnam was not a declared war by the U.S government, thus the division within our people, and the troops.
Those who went to fight, didn't have the finances nor the opportunity to get a defirment. College was not a "choice." Canada was not an option. They went, because they felt it was their "duty." and because they did....when they did return, were spat upon, were treated like lower class citizens...
I blame the U.S government for not treating their Airmed Forces Personal like "employees." they weren't treated half as good when they returned.
and...I blame the U.S. citizens of going along with the flow.....by NOT supporting the troups....

Does anyone remember "body counts" on the news EVERYNIGHT?
What was THAT all about???

[neverforget]

Same reason the media does it now, the same reason certain groups create mock cemetaries, the same reason "Nightline" showed the names of each of our military killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the same reason the media claims only President Bush does not allow the media to be at AFB to televise arriving coffins, because they are a$$holes and want to undercut support. The message of Vietnam from the left, carefully orchestrated by the KGB, was to not let America ever fight a war again...and, oh, BTW, only they are anti-war.

[Hueygunner]

[MarcB]

If brave men died for their country then it is a War. The MSM can call it what they want but the American people know better.

With Regards

Marcb
_________________
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last."

- Winston Churchill, on Neville Chamberlain

[napnip]

[Harley90]

....and the reason for the enlistment is recorded below,


WASHINGTON -- The Selective Service System today was notifying the nation's 4,000 draft boards to arrange their files of draft eligible young men for 1970 with those born Sept. 14 at the top of the heap to be called up first.

And the official notice sent to state and local Selective Service authorities places those men with June 8 birthdays in 366th position -- at the very bottom.

850,000 Involved

That was the start and the finish of last night's long-awaited lottery-by-birthday drawing, which opened with an invocation and closed with a benediction.

In between it saw the draft future being determined for an estimated 850,000 young men, many of whom must have been saying their own prayers about the results.

For those with birthdays drawn in the upper portion of the lottery list -- April 24, Dec. 30, Feb. 14, Oct. 18, Sept. 6, Oct. 26, Sept. 7, Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 round out the top 10 -- the uncertainty over their draft status has ended.

Plans Can Be Made



They now know they will be drafted early in the year unless they volunteer first. And those at the bottom know that they will not be drafted and can plan their lives accordingly.


For those in the middle or marginal area of the drawing, uncertainty still exists. But they certainly will know definitely by the end of 1970 whether they will be inducted.

They would have had a maximum of seven years of uncertainty under the old system of drafting first the oldest available men age 19 through 25. This system expires Jan. 1.

Drawing Low-Key

The lottery was conducted in low key fashion with young men and women representing Selective Service's youth advisory committees in the various states drawing capsules containing slips of paper with the birth dates on them from a water-cooler size glass bowl.

Rep. Alexander Pirnie, New York Republican who drew the first date, was the only person in an official capacity to pull out the capsule. Mr. Pirnie is the senior Republican on the House Armed Service Committee's special subcommittee on the draft.

More Reform Urged

But the use of the young people led to a few public expressions of dissent that while the lottery is commendable, more wide-ranging draft reforms should follow.

Three young men expressed such sentiments while a fourth, David L. Fowler representing the District of Columbia, said he had been "notified" not to draw and walked out. Nevertheless, Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, 76, Selective Service director who has been accused of heavy-handed draft policies, rose and shook Mr. Fowler's hand.

About a dozen youthful demonstrators picketed outside, denouncing the draft, the lottery and the Vietnam war, but they failed to interfere with the smooth precision of the drawing.

Following the drawing of dates, including Feb. 29 for men born in a leap year, the young people also drew the 26 letters of the alphabet to determine the order for induction for men registered with the same draft board and having the same birthday. J was drawn first, V last. Thus a man named Jones would be drafted before Vickery under those circumstances.

Upon receiving official notice of the lottery's results, local draft boards will arrange their files of registrants accordingly and draft in the order dates were drawn. After a board has filled its draft quota for the year, those men whose birthdays have not been reached will be free of all draft liability except in time of extreme national emergency.

As a general rule, Selective Service expects those with dates drawn in the upper third of the list will be drafted. Those in the middle third are of questionable status and those in the bottom third will not have serve.

The estimated 850,000 who will be 19 through 25 and classified 1-A or draft eligible as of Jan. 1 are directly affected by last night's drawing. After the first year, only men 19 at the beginning of the year and older men with deferments which have expired will be affected by the annual lotteries.

For men now in the 19-25 pool with college or other deferments, the position their birthdays were drawn will determine their liability in the year their deferments expire. For example, President Nixon's son-in-law, David Eisenhower, apparently will be ripe for drafting when his deferment expires in mid-1970 upon his expected graduation from Amherst College. His birthday, March 31, was drawn 30th. Since men in the 30th position in his draft board probably will already have been drafted by June, David would go to the top of his draft board's list of eligibles.

Neither Gen. Hershey nor any of the other Selective Service officials present moved to cut off the statements of the handful of participants who spoke out. Larry McKibben, the Iowa representative, read a petition he said represented the views of 14 young people. The 14 objected to the barring from the proceedings of Michigan and Alaska delegates who had come to Washington for the occasion but then reportedly announced they would refuse to draw out birth dates. John M. Bowers of Minnesota said the petition did not represent the views of any of the others.

* * * * * * *

15th Webmaster's note: In reality, the lottery numbers of 19 year old men were called at a rate of 30 per month, at least for the early-1970 months of January through May. For example, a man with a #131 was ordered to report for his physical exam 18 Feb 70, subsequently classified 1-A, and then ordered to report for induction 20 May 70 (May's maximum quota allowance called men with the numbers 121 through 150)

The draftee with the #131 was in the Central Highlands of Vietnam by February of 1971 at his first duty station, following Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.

The highest number drafted in this group of men was 195.
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About 60% of eligible men escaped
military service during the Vietnam era



Vietnam Troop Levels
Source: Congressional Quarterlies

1960 900

1961 3,200

1962 11,300

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

By 1972, an estimated 70,000 draft evaders
and deserters were living in Canada

LINKS
1970 Draft Lottery
1971 Draft Lottery
1972 Draft Lottery
Induction Statistics (1917-1973)
Peace Now
Selective Service System (off site)


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November 2001 - Nationwide, there are currently 13.3
million 18 to 25 year olds registered for the draft


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______________________________________

[Tom Poole]

The depth of Flipper John's egomania is as boundless as Trayza's pocketbook. He has no conscience, no soul, hopefully no future. I wonder if he's really Damien.
_________________
'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2

[carpro]

[quote="Harley90"]Remember, vietnam was not a declared war by the U.S government, thus the division within our people, and the troops.
Those who went to fight, didn't have the finances nor the opportunity to get a defirment. College was not a "choice." Canada was not an option. They went, because they felt it was their "duty." and because they did....when they did return, were spat upon, were treated like lower class citizens...
[quote]

Harley, you evidently have fallen for some of the more popular myths about the Vietnam War.

I suggest you read "Stolen Valor" by B.G. Burkett to debunk the myths and round out your education about Vietnam.
_________________
"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[Harley90]

Harley, you evidently have fallen for some of the more popular myths about the Vietnam War.

I suggest you read "Stolen Valor" by B.G. Burkett to debunk the myths and round out your education about Vietnam.


First of all...when things happen to you it is not a "myth" when you are told to change into regular clothing when you get off a plane and you are spat on, that is my "reality."

I will take you up on "Stolen Valor."

Thanks

[Harley90]

I stated that "vietnam was not a declared war by the U.S government" which indeed is the truth. We ALL knew it was a WAR...... and NO WHERE in my POST did I personally say it wasn't.....

...and the reason why alot were "volunteers" was because they knew what number they had in the lottery.

[Hueygunner]

I was 18 and I wasn't keeping up with what was going on around me. I knew I might be drafted but I didn't keep up with the Draft Boards. I was focused on a 1956 Harley-Davidson panhead motorcycle and a couple of pretty girls in the neighborhood. The Vietnam War was playing out in the background of my life at that time.

I joined the Army just to get it over with. I got tired of the Draft hanging over my head. I wanted to get it behind me and get on with my life if I were lucky enough to live through it. I never expected it would alter the course of my life forever.

[NavyBrat]

Harley, in fact, you are right. The US did not DECLARE war on North Vietnam or on the Viet Cong. It was a conflict. But in principle, you are wrong. It was a WAR.

I know from the guys I have spent 7 years doing their Vietnam web page that most of them, though not all, came from middle class backgrounds. One of their KIAs had a degree in Math!
_________________
Laura~

[jataylor11]

Wait a second, 60% of eligible men did not serve in Vietnam---- but I distinctly remember a Kerry campaign spokeswoman said anyone who did not serve in Vietnam betrayed their country ( I believe it was on Hannity & Colmes on Friday night)

Does this mean that those 60% of eligible men betrayed their country?

WOW!!! Look at all the people who betrayed their country. The Kerry campaign is saying that 60% of the male population over the age of what 48 years old betrayed their country. Plus anyone who never step foot on Vietnam soil betrayed their country. So they question is how many men actually appeared within the borders of Vietnam during the war? This number is okay --- and everyone else betrayed their country.

[neverforget]

I guess I must have been one who betrayed my country by intercepting NVA and CHICOM communications from Thailand and Taiwan.