In the late 1960s, the government ran a lottery to avoid the draft. Millions of the men eligible for the draft during the Vietnam War were deferred by being in college.
To be in the lottery, I had to drop my college deferment. Then, if I lost the lottery, I would have been drafted. But winning meant I'd be free of future drafts for life.
It's emotionally revealing when we consider the impact of our choices in life. In this reflection, I explore how I felt about my decision years later.
That's what inspired me to write this poem:
The Vietnam War is stuck in my brain.
In the back of my mind, and full of pain.
I dropped my college draft deferment
To be in the lottery because I was determined.
I avoided the draft after 1968.
To enjoy a life I worked hard to create.
I won the draft lottery
And continued life onwardly.
I worked hard to have a life that was yielding
A future of value and with much of meaning.
I had a business applying my creativity.
It required knowledge and productive ability.
I never worried about how to survive.
I only had positive thoughts full of drive.
Sure, I won the draft lottery but at a cost.
I never forgot the friends I lost.
Those who fought for me and you.
Eventually, their time came due.
They served the nation with dignity
Honoring the flag with each bugal call.
But they came home with a disability,
Or not at all.
