Looking back on Vietnam War draft

"Random Destiny" by Wesley Abney provides a compact history of one of the most tumultuous times in U.S. history, the era of the Vietnam War draft policy and protests, 1964-73. Those of us who lived through those years of war, defiance, domestic violence and uncertainty will never forget them, but a younger audience might find Abney's book informative and, at times, intriguing.

Abney breaks down the history of U.S. military drafts since World War I, focusing on the years of the draft to supply troops for the Vietnam War in the final years of Lyndon Johnson's presidency and Richard Nixon's first term.

As anyone who was affected by military draft policy will tell you, the regulations and laws were complicated and sometimes irrational. Abney provides explanations of the draft laws and deferments with individual chapters on medical, moral and mental deferments; conscientious objectors; deferred occupations; college deferments; sole surviving son and other family deferments.

He also has chapters on the various military services that some potential draftees turned to in order to avoid the much greater risk of ground combat in Vietnam and on the fundamental dissent and disobedience of some draftees who refused to participate in the Selective Service system, which could lead to criminal charges.

He concludes the book with the amnesties for draft resisters and AWOL soldiers offered by President Ford and expanded by President Carter after the draft ended in 1973 and America began fielding an all-volunteer army.

The Dec. 1, 1969, draft lottery is the nexus of this review of U.S. military draft policy. Implemented to reduce uncertainty about the draft and opposition to the draft, the lottery affected all males of draft age, a span of several years. By night's end, 366 numbers had been drawn, and men's futures were determined by where their birth date fell in the numbers. The certainty that those with numbers below 100 would almost certainly be drafted and those with numbers above 300 almost certainly would not changed the lives of millions.

The stories of those lives, collected over a period of years on a website that invited Vietnam-era men to share their experiences with the draft and the war, are the heart of this book. The review of the various draft laws, deferments and exceptions are thorough but can be rather dry. The personal narratives are poignant and powerful.

Abney has organized these fervent narratives to follow each chapter on the laws and regulations that sparked these personal accounts. The vast majority of stories are about the many ways young men of the late 1960s through 1973 sought to avoid the draft. Those with low draft numbers were left in limbo, unable to complete their college degrees or to get long-term employment. Some were married (not a deferment — but an excused absence early in the war), and some had dependent children (a deferment that ended in 1967). The impact of draft deferments is cited in the rise in marriage rates when marital status could get you a deferment and a rise in the birth rate when babies could get a man out of the draft.

After setting up a website to collect draft lottery stories in 2007. The website collected 840 narratives by 2017. One-hundred-sixty of these stories are included in the book, and all of the collected stories are still available on the website, www.vietnamwardraftlottery.com.

These stories show the diversity of experiences and personal opinions about the war and the draft. Some of the young men were adamantly opposed to the Vietnam War or to war in general. Others went willingly to their "random destiny," a fate they saw as their duty. Most fell somewhere in between the few who would resort to deceit or violence to avoid the draft and those who were already in military service or who were willing to comply with the government's induction orders.

I found the stories of those who entered the military service (most of them electing to enlist in a "safer" branch of service) especially interesting. Many found their military experience positive and constructive. It changed their lives. They are proud of their service in uniform. Those who returned from Vietnam combat were deeply angered by the reception they received coming home. Some protesters shouted insults ("baby killer!") and threw rocks or pig's blood at the returning soldiers. Some of the most earnest protesters of the war disapproved of such behavior.

"I would not have volunteered to serve, but having been drafted, I am proud of being a veteran," one contributor wrote. Another wrote, "I didn't want to go, but it sure changed my life. It was the best thing that ever happened to me." Don wrote, "My Navy service was one of the highlights of my life. Without the draft, I would not have done it." John, who served in the National Guard, wrote, "In retrospect, the experience made me a better person and a better student."

"Random Destiny" would make a great textbook for a college-level course on the Vietnam War's impact on the home front. The book is thoroughly footnoted and has an extensive bibliography. Still, the personal narratives are the most compelling aspect of the book. Today's generation of college students, 45 years removed from the war and the draft, could learn a lot from such a course.


Hal Tarleton