Need pictures.
Originally posted on December 13, 1968, the 50th anniversary of my graduation from the University of Tennessee.
1968 was an extremely volatile, violent year to put it mildly–Assassinations, Viet Nam, Civil Rights, Cities Burning, and the Draft were the issues of the Day—not mentioning Richard Nixon’s election.
I was a senior in college getting ready to graduate in December. I had already been drafted 3 times during the course of my studies. I knew I had about 1 month after graduation before the draft notice would come.
I was sicker than a dog in late November but struggled to a classroom to take the Officer Candidate test for the military. I passed. So in early January 1969, I went to the recruiters and enlisted in the U.S. Army with a guarantee of Officer Candidate School. It would be the best decision I have ever made in life.
The draft and my feelings about the United States of America channeled my focus. Like many of my generation, I had misgivings about the Vietnam War, but I believed in the United States of America and what it stood for, and this outweighed my anxieties. For me, there was no option of not serving, thank goodness. I had been raised by the WWII generation and I was not about to go against what they sacrificed for me and the country. If I opted not to serve, I would never be able to look in the mirror and like what looked back.
Under Revision-6/23/20
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