My Experiences in the Vietnam War in My Down Da Road I Go Blog

Even though I did not go to Vietnam and fight, I sure enough came close to being there.

I have been writing about my experiences in my Down da Road I Go Blog.  You can go to it by looking at the Blogs I Follow section to the right of this entry and clicking on the blog.

To me it was The War That Would Never End.  Then there was that draft lottery thing and college.

Give It a Look.  --CooterAlmostThere.

The Draft Was Trying to Get Me

I remember the Darft Lottery very well.  The Vietnam War started when I was in 7th grade and then continued all the way through high school.  I thought that war was never going to end.  Graduate high school and there was a good chance you'd be heading for Southeast Asia in a few months unless you were going to go to college.

Since I was planning on being a teacher, college was already in my plans.  Maybe the war would be over by the time I got out of that.

I was too young for the first Draft Lottery and very much relieved when May 24th was drawn number 31.  Dodged the bullet with that one.  And since the first one had my birthday with such a low number, that had to mean that when it counted for me the next year, it had to be higher.  Right?  You'd Think?

But, NO, the next year good old May 24th was drawn number 22!!  When I got out of college, the next stop was Vietnam.  Unless the war was over, but it sure didn't appear to be heading in that direction.  I even joined the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class so I could get commissioned a second leiutenant upon graduating.

Fortunately, that war that would never ever end, did finally draw to a close and the last American troops were withdrawn a few months before graduation.

That was a close one.

Thanks a Lot, Mr. Tarr.  --Cooter

40th Anniversary of Kent State Today-- Part 1

It was 40 years ago today that Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four and wounding eleven.

The Vietnam War was the big thing on college campuses back in the late 60s-early 70s. When boys graduated high school, they essentially had the choice of two things: go to college or go to Vietnam. Some opted for a third choice to leave the US, many going to Canada or Europe.

Of course, this depended upon your draft lottery number. If you got a high number, chances were good that you wouldn't be drafted. The first year they had the lottery, I was too young and got a #31. I figured that meant that I would get a high number when it counted. Wrong. I got a #22. I had always planned on being a teacher and going to college so I didn't go just to avoid the draft, but there were many guys who did.

I was a freshman living at Lincoln Hall dormitory at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb at this time. Just about once a week, there would be an anti-war march through campus. I did not participate, nor did most of my dorm floor, but we watched. I remember once someone in the march had a Viet Cong flag and some of our guys ran out and took it.

However, when word of Kent State reached campus, things got ugly, as they did at colleges all across the United States. How dare the National Guard kill unarmed students doing a legal protest.

Marches were planned for the next day, and to say the least, things were getting tense.

Next, Violence at Good 'Ol NIU. --Cooter