Hypothetical: You and the Vietnam Draft

[Rain Man]

Fairplay and I had a conversation about this a while back. If you were 20 years old when the Vietnam draft lottery was started, what would have been your fate? Walk through the process and tell me if you would've been drafted.

(If you actually went through this process and I'm missing anything, correct me.)

Step 1. Do you get the letter telling you that you've been drafted?

They drew birthdays out of a hat, and you got drafted in the order in which your birthday was drawn. Look up your birthday here. According to the Selective Service website https://www.sss.gov/About/History-And-Records/lotter1, you got a draft letter if your number was 195 or lower.

Spoiler!

Sep 14 1
Apr 24 2
Dec 30 3
Feb 14 4
Oct 18 5
Sep 6* 6
Oct 26 7
Sep 7* 8
Nov 22 9
Dec 6* 10
Aug 31 11
Dec 7* 12
Jul 8* 13
Apr 11 14
Jul 12 15
Dec 29 16
Jan 15 17
Sep 26 18
Nov 1* 19
Jun 4* 20
Aug 10 21
Jun 26 22
Jul 24 23
Oct 5* 24
Feb 19 25
Dec 14 26
Jul 21 27
Jun 5* 28
Mar 2* 29
Mar 31 30
May 24 31
Apr 1* 32
Mar 17 33
Nov 2* 34
May 7* 35
Aug 24 36
May 11 37
Oct 30 38
Dec 11 39
May 3* 40
Dec 10 41
Jul 13 42
Dec 9* 43
Aug 16 44
Aug 2* 45
Nov 11 46
Nov 27 47
Aug 8* 48
Sep 3* 49
Jul 7* 50
Nov 7* 51
Jan 25 52
Dec 22 53
Aug 5* 54
May 16 55
Dec 5* 56
Feb 23 57
Jan 19 58
Jan 24 59
Jun 21 60
Aug 29 61
Apr 21 62
Sep 20 63
Jun 27 64
May 10 65
Nov 12 66
Jul 25 67
Feb 12 68
Jun 13 69
Dec 21 70
Sep 10 71
Oct 12 72
Jun 17 73
Apr 27 74
May 19 75
Nov 6* 76
Jan 28 77
Dec 27 78
Oct 31 79
Nov 9* 80
Apr 4* 81
Sep 5* 82
Apr 3* 83
Dec 25 84
Jun 7* 85
Feb 1* 86
Oct 6* 87
Jul 28 88
Feb 15 89
Apr 18 90
Feb 7* 91
Jan 26 92
Jul 1* 93
Oct 28 94
Dec 24 95
Dec 16 96
Nov 8* 97
Jul 17 98
Nov 29 99
Dec 31 100
Jan 5* 101
Aug 15 102
May 30 103
Jun 19 104
Dec 8* 105
Aug 9* 106
Nov 16 107
Mar 1* 108
Jun 23 109
Jun 6* 110
Aug 1* 111
May 17 112
Sep 15 113
Aug 6* 114
Jul 3* 115
Aug 23 116
Oct 22 117
Jan 23 118
Sep 23 119
Jul 16 120
Jan 16 121
Mar 7* 122
Dec 28 123
Apr 13 124
Oct 2* 125
Nov 13 126
Nov 14 127
Dec 18 128
Dec 1* 129
May 15 130
Nov 15 131
Nov 25 132
May 12 133
Jun 11 134
Dec 20 135
Mar 11 136
Jun 25 137
Oct 13 138
Mar 6* 139
Jan 18 140
Aug 18 141
Aug 12 142
Nov 17 143
Feb 2* 144
Aug 4* 145
Nov 18 146
Apr 7* 147
Apr 16 148
Sep 25 149
Feb 11 150
Sep 29 151
Feb 13 152
Jul 22 153
Aug 17 154
May 6* 155
Nov 21 156
Dec 3* 157
Sep 11 158
Jan 2* 159
Sep 22 160
Sep 2* 161
Dec 23 162
Dec 13 163
Jan 30 164
Dec 4* 165
Mar 16 166
Aug 28 167
Aug 7* 168
Mar 15 169
Mar 26 170
Oct 15 171
Jul 23 172
Dec 26 173
Nov 30 174
Sep 13 175
Oct 25 176
Sep 19 177
May 14 178
Feb 25 179
Jun 15 180
Feb 8* 181
Nov 23 182
May 20 183
Sep 8* 184
Nov 20 185
Jan 21 186
Jul 20 187
Jul 5* 188
Feb 17 189
Jul 18 190
Apr 29 191
Oct 20 192
Jul 31 193
Jan 9* 194
Sep 24 195
Oct 24 196
May 9* 197
Aug 14 198
Jan 8* 199
Mar 19 200
Oct 23 201
Oct 4* 202
Nov 19 203
Sep 21 204
Feb 27 205
Jun 10 206
Sep 16 207
Apr 30 208
Jun 30 209
Feb 4* 210
Jan 31 211
Feb 16 212
Mar 8* 213
Feb 5* 214
Jan 4* 215
Feb 10 216
Mar 30 217
Apr 10 218
Apr 9* 219
Oct 10 220
Jan 12 221
Jun 28 222
Mar 28 223
Jan 6* 224
Sep 1* 225
May 29 226
Jul 19 227
Jun 2* 228
Oct 29 229
Nov 24 230
Apr 14 231
Sep 4* 232
Sep 27 233
Oct 7* 234
Jan 17 235
Feb 24 236
Oct 11 237
Jan 14 238
Mar 20 239
Dec 19 240
Oct 19 241
Sep 12 242
Oct 21 243
Oct 3* 244
Aug 26 245
Sep 18 246
Jun 22 247
Jul 11 248
Jun 1* 249
May 21 250
Jan 3* 251
Apr 23 252
Apr 6* 253
Oct 16 254
Sep 17 255
Mar 23 256
Sep 28 257
Mar 24 258
Mar 13 259
Apr 17 260
Aug 3* 261
Apr 28 262
Sep 9* 263
Oct 27 264
Mar 22 265
Nov 4* 266
Mar 3* 267
Mar 27 268
Apr 5* 269
Jul 29 270
Apr 2* 271
Jun 12 272
Apr 15 273
Jun 16 274
Mar 4* 275
May 4* 276
Jul 9* 277
May 18 278
Jul 4* 279
Jan 20 280
Nov 28 281
Nov 10 282
Oct 8* 283
Jul 10 284
Feb 29 285
Aug 25 286
Jul 30 287
Oct 17 288
Jul 27 289
Feb 22 290
Aug 21 291
Feb 18 292
Mar 5* 293
Oct 14 294
May 13 295
May 27 296
Feb 3* 297
May 2* 298
Feb 28 299
Mar 12 300
Jun 3* 301
Feb 20 302
Jul 26 303
Dec 17 304
Jan 1* 305
Jan 7* 306
Aug 13 307
May 28 308
Nov 26 309
Nov 5* 310
Aug 19 311
Apr 8* 312
May 31 313
Dec 12 314
Sep 30 315
Apr 22 316
Mar 9* 317
Jan 13 318
May 23 319
Dec 15 320
May 8* 321
Jul 15 322
Mar 10 323
Aug 11 324
Jan 10 325
May 22 326
Jul 6* 327
Dec 2* 328
Jan 11 329
May 1* 330
Jul 14 331
Mar 18 332
Aug 30 333
Mar 21 334
Jun 9* 335
Apr 19 336
Jan 22 337
Feb 9* 338
Aug 22 339
Apr 26 340
Jun 18 341
Oct 9* 342
Mar 25 343
Aug 20 344
Apr 20 345
Apr 12 346
Feb 6* 347
Nov 3* 348
Jan 29 349
Jul 2* 350
Apr 25 351
Aug 27 352
Jun 29 353
Mar 14 354
Jan 27 355
Jun 14 356
May 26 357
Jun 24 358
Oct 1* 359
Jun 20 360
May 25 361
Mar 29 362
Feb 21 363
May 5* 364
Feb 26 365
Jun 8* 366

Next, you showed up and got classified. Enclosed here are the classifications. The numbers are a little bit apples and oranges, but as far as I can tell, you had about a 1 in 6 chance of ending up in uniform if your draft number got called. Most people apparently got a classification that exempted them from service.

Here are the classifications.

Spoiler!

1-A - Available for military service.

1-AM - Medical specialist available for military service.

1-A-O - Conscientious Objector - Conscientiously opposed to training and military service requiring the use of arms - fulfills his service obligation in a noncombatant position within the military. Those classified 1-A-O are conscientious objectors available for noncombatant military service.

1-A-OM - Medical specialist conscientious objector available for noncombatant military service.

1-C - Member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, or the Public Health Service. (Enl) - enlisted; (Ind) - inducted; (Dis) - discharged

1-D - Member of a Reserve component or student taking military training.

1-H - Registrant not currently subject to processing for induction or alternative service.
Note: Within the cessation of registrant processing in 1976, all registrants (except for a few alleged violators of the Military Selective Service Act) were classified 1-H regardless of any previous classification.

1-O - Conscientious objector available for civilian work contributing to the national health, safety or interest.

1-OM - Medical specialist conscientious objector available for civilian work contributing to the national health, safety or interest.

1-S - Student deferred by statue - (H) high school; (C) college.

1-W - Conscientious objector performing civilian work in the national health, safety or interest. (Rel) - Released.

1-Y - Registrant qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency.
Note: The 1-Y classification was abolished December 10, 1971. Local boards were subsequently instructed to reclassify all 1-Y registrants by administrative action.

2-A - Registrant deferred because of civilian occupation (except agriculture).

2-AM - Medical specialist deferred because of critical community need involving patient care.

2-C - Registrant deferred because of agricultural occupation.

2-D - Ministerial Students - Deferred from military service.

2-M - Registrant deferred for medical study.

2-S - Registrant deferred because of activity in study.

3-A - Hardship Deferment - Deferred from military service because service would cause hardship upon his family.

4-A - Registrant who has completed service; or sole surviving son.

4-B - Official deferred by law.

4-C - Alien or Dual National - Sometimes exempt from military service.

4-D - Ministers of Religion - Exempted from military service.

4-E - Conscientious objector opposed to both combatant and noncombatant training and service.

4-F - Registrant not qualified for military service. (Current physical causes of being classified as a 4f are found here, beginning with Section 2.3 on page 4 - http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf

4-FM - Medical specialist not qualified for military service.

4-G - Sole surviving son. (Parent or sibling killed in the military)

4-W - Conscientious objector who has completed civilian alternate service.

5-A - Registrant over the age of liability for military service.

So would you have ended up in uniform?

As for me, I would've not even been close. My birthday drew Draft Number 363, so I wouldn't have even come into question. Even if I had been drafted, at age 20 I would've had a college student deferment and been a 1S. War? What war?