"Viet Nam era draft questions" Topic

The YouTube logarithm has decided I needed to watch clips from the basic training segment of Full Metal Jacket (FMJ). All of which got me wondering something.
The draft ended when I was about 11 or so and about all I know about it is when my brother was called up (last number called, last year we had the draft), he was given two or three months to enlist before getting drafted. As I recall. It was his belief that if he enlisted he had a better chance of getting something he wanted. He was under the impression the Marines nabbed the biggest guys (big bro was 6'4"), he didn't want that so he enlisted and ended up at DLI learning Russian.
So I have some questions:
1) How did they decide which service a draftee was assigned to?
2) If the Marines did draft the biggest, most fit, etc. how did they end up with a guy like Pvt Pyle (from FMJ)?
3) If a guy did flunk out of the Marines, was he out of the service, or would they dump him on some other branch?

I don't know the answer to your questions. My uncle was going to be drafted in 1968. As soon as my grandpa realized that he dragged him to the air force recruiting office. My grandpa fought in New Guinea and the Philippines during WWII. He said he wanted to do everything possible to make sure his son didn't have to fight a jungle war like he had to. I was preparing to enlist at the end of high school to go to Iraq or Afghanistan. Hesde me promise to do college first and become an officer. Blew out my knee and my shoulder in college. He was very happy to hear that so I couldn't enlist.

Based on what I've read and people I've talked to, it was pretty random. Typically, people counted off and every 3rd or 4th person went to the marines, sometimes the first 10 or 15 people were chosen, sometimes people were told to stand in a series of lines or files and assigned that way. That happened to a guy I knew. "Everyone in these lines is in the Army, this line means you are in the Navy, and this line means you are a marine."

Most draftees went into the army. The marines could go months without taking anyone from the draft pool. I think in 1968 they had three draft months for the year.

I enlisted when I was 17. Saved me from jail! (a friend had stolen a car, and I got caught with him).
I went to the LA induction Center and was in a long line awaiting my physical. A sergeant hollered "count off by fours!", and every fourth guy was pulled out and the sergeant said, "welcome to the marines!".
I enlisted for refrigeration repair and the recruiter said that that class had just started, but they had a similar one starting soon. It turns out they trained me to be a utilities and maintenance engineer (I had 2 1/2 hours of refrig repair in the 8 weeks course). I trained at Fort Leanard Wood Misery (sp intended) next to the combat engineer school, which scared the hell out of me.
It turned out that whatever post I went to, they put me where they wanted, regardless of my training.
As far as flunking out; I don't know about the Marines, but the army always had a place for you! If you were really, really bad, like this one 'ol country boy, they might drum you out. But even the marginal ones, like this one druggy, they made him a cook!

Ok, I am now 70 and that was my era. So I can give some first hand recollections.
First of all let's talk pre-1970. My father was an E7 in that time frame and was real popular in town. He had been a little league baseball and basketball coach thought out the 1960s and before and after. So he knew all of the draft eligible guys. But what made him the most popular was he was a E7 in the Alabama National Guard. He served in the Guard from 191949 until 1979. In about 1968 he became the main Recruiting NCO for the area. So my house was full of regulations and pamphlets. So there are many tales about the NG. He often had guys from 70-100 miles away come searching him out. Especially after draft numbers were drawn.

So the first choice for many was to try to get into the Guard. Better chance if you joined BEFORE your years number was drawn. Seems like if your number was below 199 your chance of getting called up was almost absolute.

As stated above joining the service before you were called up gave you a choice of branch and your MOS in that branch. Not all soldiers went to Vietnam. For example most Armor types went to Europe which like Korea and other places had to be garrisoned.

Part two.
Based on certain circumstances, you could get deferred due to health and school status. I myself was Deferred due to getting a Four year scholarship that put me into ROTC. High schoolers could stay in school after 18 if they were a Junior or Senior. We had several cases in our school of guys failing on purpose in order to stay in school. I remember one day when the MPs came to school to get a guy who turned 21 that day. They drug him out as he punched to hit them the principle (who got a black eye) and coaches who helped. I can still see the principals torn shirt.

My school had a lot of guys join the Guard and a number go to college ROTC. There were three guys who made LTC. In my year group, one guy went to the Naval Academy me and another Air Force ROTC. My brother, another LTC, four years later had a guy go into the Air Force and became an Astronaut. In my class we also six other guys go as active duty enlisted. Not bad for a small school of an average of 35 males in it.

Back to draft. My year 1972 was the last year that got drafted, mainly specialty skills and the delayed entry due to school. In 1971 was the last fully activated draft. A good buddy had his number as a 6 so he did not risk being called up and joined the NG.

My first two years of eligibility I had a student deferral for college.
Then Selective Service ended deferrals for college students, and I was then "real eligible", but subject to the draft lottery.
No internet back then, of course, so a bunch of us gathered in the library when the Washington Post was delivered. Out of 366 possible birthdays, mine was 344.
So, I have no Service takes to tell.

There was quite the square dance of dips and dodges re efforts to game the draft process. There were so many gimmicks it was impossible to keep them straight.

Of course, more than a few opted to ghost across the border into Canada where they did their best to stay off the radar.

Once you got 1A, a lot of people opted to enlist in hopes of staying out of the Nam. The USAF got super choosy and turned away lots. Draftees served 2 years. Normally 1 in VN with a second somewhere else. Voluntary enlistment usually required a 4 year commitment. This didn't always work. I went to college with a guy who joined the Navy, only to end up a supply clerk in Hue.

You could get out on a medical. My mom found out they wouldn't take you if you had braces. She and our GP were conspiring to drug me on my physical day to send my BP thru the roof.

My brother withdrew from grad school to teach high school to get a deferrment.

Early a lot of guys got medical deferments due to a heart murmur. But by 1966 they stopped that because so many people had one. Ironically I had a birth defect in my heart that was not found until I turned 55. I have a plastic heart valve now.

I had an acquaintance in college during the Vietnam era who starved himself to be below the minimum weight limit to avoid the draft. Don't know what happened to him as I changed colleges and joined ROTC, eventually serving 20 years as a commissioned officer. One of my church pastors "boasted" (my description, not his) of becoming an ordained minister to avoid the draft during the Vietnam era.

Jim

I got drafted in late 1966, no drawing then, I then volunteered for the draft so I could wait to report in April 1967.

Arrived at Fort Campbell KY, got off the bus, we counted off by 3's. All 2's got back on the bus to go to the Marines.
Not so Special

I went from Fort Campbell, to Fort Pork to Hawaii to Vietnam

4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry
11th Light Infantry Brigade
Americal Division
Vietnam 12-24-1967 to 12-5-1968

I spent four years with a 2S student deferment. Graduated in 69. Bob Hope was our graduation speaker – call it an omen. When I got my letter to report for the physical I volunteered for the draft like It Is Good To Be King. When we were being sworn in the guy next to me refused to take the step forward. The officials told him to leave and that the FBI would be in contact. I asked if the Marines were taking anyone at this time and got a no. Basic at Ft. Dix. Intell school at Ft. Holabird then 11th ACR, 3 Corp SVN. H

It is good to be King +1, thanks bro! The draft board sent me a letter when I was deployed on a destroyer, saying I did not register for the draft. I tore it up and threw it in the trash. What were they going to do?

In regards to the last question, I don't see anyone being recycled into another branch of the service.

1) You truly can't pass, so you are adminstratively separated.

2) You choose to fail, so you are administratively separated and your life is hell until the paperwork gets processed.

3) You refuse to train, so you suffer the wrath of the UCMJ and your life is hell until you are discharged.

Thanks for the responses everyone.
Just to throw in my family story. Two older brothers who were of the right age. The oldest I mentioned above was drafted in 1972. He enlisted and bevame a Russian linguist and served his tour in Germany. The Uncle Sam got his money's worth as after that he went to college and worked for NSA for 40 years.
My other brother got a religious deferement for two years (his draft number was 4). By the time he came back the draft had ended.
We did have a cousin who enlisted in the Marines and served in Viet Nam in the 60s. As I understand it, under similar cirrcumstances as d88mm1940 mentioned.

Retreads were a later in service procedure. My room mate at officer Armor Basic was a Annapolis graduate who flunked out of flight school and was transferred to the Marines to become a Tanker.
When I was in ROTC, it was not uncommon to have veterans enroll in the program. They started off as Juniors in training though a few started as Seniors. It had something to do with doing ROTC instead of OCS. Depended on branch specialty.
Most retreads were veterans who changed branches. I had five platoon Sgts. One was so old he had served in the Hitler Youth. My best PLt Sgt was a Marine in Vietnam. He came re-enlisted Army to get a promotion with his bonus.

Lost my 2S in 70 and enlisted in UASF to have, I thought, better control. As I recall, you could hurry up and enlist in whatever to have some control as long as you beat a report date. I can't remember if the Navy actually took draftees or was it just the Army and Marines?

My father's draft number came up in 1954. He shower up and passed the physical. He told the sergeant that he was happy to serve, but that he wouldn't fight in Vietnam because he wouldn't prop up France's colonial empire. The sergeant was taken aback, since no one was worried about U.S. troops going to Vietnam back then. After a while, the sergeant left and came back with the doctor. Told the doctor to listen to my father's heart again.

"Sounds fine to me."

"Are you *sure*? Listen again."

"Uh … it sounds OK."

"You're *sure* he doesn't have a heart murmur? Absolutely sure?"

"Well, let me … Why yes! Yes, he does have a heart murmur!"

Bizarrely, my father didn't serve because the *army* faked a heart murmur.

(I wasn't going to write about this, but I read TimePortal's post.)

A few years later, my father's politics changed slightly and he became a staunch anti-Communist leftist free market liberal. Who opposed intervention in Vietnam because he thought that the Domino Theory was very, very stupid, among other things.

IIRC I was in the last group that received a student deferment from my draft board. I was fortunate enough to get one as an engineering student. My draft number was 103 which was predicted to be borderline (maybe you'll be called, maybe not). The following year when I was a sophomore, one of the freshmen I knew had his number pulled as #1. He went out, got very drunk, and simply disappeared with all his belongings a day or so later. No one I knew ever found out what happened to him.

Being born in December I could register in my 17th or 18th year. My lottery number for 17th was like 62, so I registered in the next year. That year my number was 238.

I kidded that the VC would need to have taken Kansas City for me to be called up.

My father was a recruiter in the Corps at the tail end of the war. He said it was easy duty. Always made his quota, (except the time a new officer came into the office and yelled at all the recruiters that they BETTER make their quotas. His entire office got no recruits that month. They had everyone they recruited sign up to come in on the first day of the next month). Just told people he'd put them in a nice easy rear area billet like supply or cook. Of course in Nam there was no rear area…

He did three tours himself.

I wanted to get my education before entering the Army (wanted to be in armor). I was not in a draft deferred college and my draft number was 52 (year I was born in!). Draft board said I had 2 weeks before my number would be called. So I tried to join the Army. The recruiter said I could not be in armor because I wore glasses. One of my best friends was in armor at the time and he wore glasses so I went next door and joined the USAF under "Project Promise". I got to pick my career field- if denied, I could get an honorable discharge. I got my choice, turned down the AF Academy (dumb move realized later) 3 times! I received my draft notice while in basic training at Lackland. Parents sent it to me. Approached the T.I. and asked what I should do. His reply was pulling out his Zippo lighter and asked "Would you like to burn it or can I?" (It was a crime to burn your draft card so I let him do it!) Never looked back. Never had to go to 'Nam and spent my first 6 years at home at Wright-Patterson AFB. Some angel looked after me! Stayed in for 20 years active duty and loved every minute I have the utmost respect for everyone who had to go to the 'Nam. It was maddening to be accused of being a baby killer while walking in Denver during Tech School in 1971. Not the country's greatest moment…