The Draft

The Vietnam War was raging in 1967 but I had a deferment (II-S) because I was enrolled as a full time student in college. The war was very unpopular by this time but there seemed to be no way out. (Sound familiar?) Many others and I were just hoping it would end before we had to go. My cousin Terry was enrolled part time in Burlington Community College. Part time students were considered eligible for the draft but Terry had an I-H deferment because of his weight.

Each county had a quota each month and the local draft board determined who would go. Darlene Taylor, at the local draft board office, checked on every deferred person regularly to see if their status changed. If you dropped a class and dropped below the full time status the college was required to report it to draft board. They kept close tabs on II-S students and even knew our grades and who was likely to flunk out.

In February of 1968 I received an Order to Report for Physical Examination. I didn’t realize it at the time but this letter is the first step of being drafted into the armed services. Other friends had gone for physicals so the only thing that really bothered me about it was being gone overnight and away from Becky.

The army physicals for Iowa were given in Des Moines. We all rode up in a bus one afternoon and checked into a barracks when we arrived. We were informed that we were in fact in the military while were there. I was bummed that they didn’t serve us supper or breakfast the next morning because of the tests. The physical itself was uneventful except they made me go through the colorblind test several times and finally determined that I wasn’t faking and I was actually colorblind. I asked the guy if that disqualified me from service and he said, “No, you would make a good sniper!”

On a gloomy day in late March while I was working at Glanzman’s Printing, Becky came in crying and holding an envelope. It was an Order to Report for Induction. I had been drafted. I was baffled because I was a full time student and didn’t understand what was happening but there it was. I was ordered to report for duty on May 1, 1968. The problem was amplified by the fact that our baby was due to be born on May 5.

I took the letter and went to talk to Darlene Taylor at the draft board office. She was stern and had no sympathy for me. She said I had been dully drafted by the board and there was nothing either of us could do about it. I protested and said I was deferred because I was a full time student and showed her my II-S draft card. She said I wasn’t a full time student so that didn’t matter. We argued loudly back and forth, but I made no progress.

Finally, she opened my file and pulled out a document from Burlington Community College. “Here!” she said. “Is the proof you are a part time student!” and she slammed the paper on the table in front of me. She pointed to phrase “part time” on the page.

I was speechless as I looked at the page. Then my eyes drifted to the top where it said “Name Terry D. Ross.” I could only point and finally stammered. “That’s not me!” Darlene was hysterical! Now she was the one who was upset. The county had met their quota with me and now she couldn’t send me, or Terry either because of his deferment.

My emotions that day had been on a rollercoaster. When I went home and told Becky of our change of fortune she almost didn’t believe me. We were so relieved!

On the day I was to report for duty, May 1, 1968, the greatest thing happened in my life. It has been equaled but never surpassed. It was the birth of our daughter, Angie. But that is another story.