We were just prisoners....volunteer prisoners avoiding the Vietnam Army
draft.

That's one "exit strategy," I guess.

Vic Smith wrote in
I enlisted in the Navy when I was 16, about a month before JFK was
shot. Everything was done but the oath taking.
Took the oath and was in boot camp all in one day a couple months
later, the day after my 17th birthday.
My ma wouldn't let me go on my birthday.
Viet Nam and the draft had nothing to do with it.
I never had a draft card.

Well, you guys are older than me... it's a different world now. I
joined up in 1979 during the Carter Recession, when the employment
section of a major metropolitan newspaper was less than 2 columns.
There were not "Help Wanted" signs on every fast-food joint & gas
station. If there were, I would not have enlisted. As it was, I took
the Navy over the Air Force because they could take me in sooner.


If Viet Nam had been hot when I turned 17 I probably would have joined
the Marines to fight commies.

My cousin, a few years older than me, elected to join the Marines when
his draft number came up.

MIA

I still have a copper bracelet with his name, rank, & service #; but
nowadays I only wear it to family occasions where people know what
it's for.


Like I said, smarter Navy today. Mostly due to better education,
better training, and fewer 17 year-olds.
And not a one of them is dodging the draft.


Agreed. And the military has learned different methods to socialize
young people to the task of being in the service.


"jlrogers±³©" wrote:
I was at Treasure Island, in electronics "A" school when JFK got it.
Joined to get away from what I knew.


Can't recall where I was when the Embassy people were taken hostage in
Tehran. It was certainly an "oh ****, here we go" feeling that went on
for a long time.

Regards-
Doug King, ex-BT1(SW)