Americans, if you were eligible for draft in the Vietnam War what would have done?

50 comments

  3. Probably enlisted in something away from combat. War is an ugly place that I just have no place in. I’d only kill for my family. Not to stop the “Spread of Communism”

  4. Assuming my life took a similar trajectory to now? I would have been going to school for engineering and likely gotten a deferment and then tried to worm my way into aerospace or a master’s to stay out.

    I have very mixed feelings about the motivations of that war and that’s not good enough for me to go die in it voluntarily.

  6. Probably would have gone. Probably would have been deeply traumatized and off’d myself like my mom’s first boyfriend did (assuming got back at all)

  8. I would have been DQ’d for medical reasons (blind in one eye and actual bone spurs), but if that wasn’t an option… probably bounce and stay with my dad’s family in Canada.

  9. Fuck no. I’d rather smoke crack than serve this country and it’s corporate interests.

    I woulda ducked tf out the draft.

  12. I was in the draft, and lucky to have a high number. Was never called, but would have left the country, no doubt. Fuck that twisted shit.

  13. My dad went. Most of his friends went to Canada. He really didn’t want to go but he thought running forever would be worse than going for a year. So he kept his head down and made it back a year later.

  14. Volunteer for the air force, spend 4 years guarding a silo or hanger in Idaho; just like my HS gov teacher did.

  15. I think I would have got denied for having had ACL surgery but if not I probably would have gone and just been a bullet catcher and came home in a plastic bag

  17. I’d like to say I’d bounce to Canada, but in all likelihood my parents would pay to get me out

  24. Well my great-uncle just died from cancer that was linked to Agent Orange when he served in Vietnam, so I would probably avoid it at all costs

  26. I’d enlist so I could pick which branch I wanted. I’d be good as long as it wasn’t Honolulu before Dec 1941.

  27. I enlisted before graduating high-school, so, probably would do the same.

    My draft number was called though, so I guess it makes no difference.

  30. I was in the lottery in 1972 and drew number 82 and figured that I would have to go to Vietnam. So, I went to college instead. In actuality, no one was drafted from the ’72 lottery.

  32. I guess preemptively join the navy. I’m flat footed idk if it would disqualify me from service in that era.

  35. Protested and burned my draft card.

    The celebrated as I learned that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a false flag.

  37. Would’ve just pretended to be gay. Back then homosexuality was recognized as a mental disorder.

  39. I think it’s a fun mental exercise and one that should be done. However, I don’t think we can sit here today and hypothetically answer the question 100% accurately. We aren’t really faced with that decision and if we were around then, we would not be the exact same person you are today.

    That being said, it’s never good when you need to draft. It’s always better to have the people there who have some desire and / or feeling of obligation to be there.

    [Always best to bring soldiers.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_TnPUu4oPY)

    Edit:typo

  41. Birthday drew 70 in the last year and up to 90 were being taken. Richard Nixon is still my favorite president for canceling that draft. My dad flew cap over London and I’m proud of that, but for me the Vietcong were not the type of existential enemies we grew up playing war games and practiced duck and cover drills against.

  44. If my life played out the same way, I’d join. I haven’t done shit with my life so why not

  45. My ADD is so bad, I can’t see myself surviving basic training. Totally not joking

  46. Probably would have gone. Men of that generation tell me it was quite a big deal to refuse.

  47. It’s hard to say… I’m a child of the 90s-00s, so who knows how I would have turned out raised in the 50s-60s. We didn’t know what we know now, and the whole cold war was still going on. Being a person of color, there would have been less opportunities, but society was more patriotic and less polarized than today. I might have thought “this is the right thing” even if it wasn’t. There was more trust in government.

    Then again, I’ve never been the most brave, athletic, etc. so that might have been enough for me to “NOPE!” I might have seen parallels between what was going on in Vietnam and what happened here and sympathized. Would I have even been “acceptable”? With my disabilities and various other “cons”? Still, what a pointless war

  48. Just say fuck it and go. Take my chances. Yeah if I die or seriously wounded that sucks. But even if my family and I always don’t get along, I would like to be able to see them. Which was a consequence of draft dodging and running to Canada or Mexico. You would never be able to come back into the country and then if caught you have that black mark on your record and would never be able to get a job again.

  50. Biggest issue is that if i were an American in the 60’s, I naturally would not have the same information and perspective on the war that I do now, so its very hard to say. If i knew what i do now though? Canada here I come.

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