Stories

Rick Wilkerson
Vigo, Indiana, 1966 to 1971

It was 1971, and I was a wet-eared freshman at Purdue. The Vietnam War was raging; 50,000 young Americans had already lost their lives as a result. College students no longer qualified for draft deferments as they had in the earlier years of the war.

Earlier that year, I’d spent an evening at the local radio station where I worked, waiting for the Draft Lottery numbers to be drawn. A friend and I dug through yards of Associated Press news wire copy trying to find our birth dates and their associated numbers. I couldn’t find mine.

Then, I heard our newscaster announce on the air that “the first date selected was September 26, and it was matched with number 29.”

Number 29. My birthday. Not good.

I never had any affinity for the military or any desire to pretend to be a soldier, let alone actually be one. So I filed as a Conscientious Objector, but got no response. I was called for my physical anyway, scheduled for October of 1971.

Canada?

But then I remembered. The 4-H Achievement Trip. Each year Indiana 4-Hers could qualify for a week long trip to Chicago based on their record as a 4-Her. It was scheduled for the same week as my draft physical. And (ahem) I sure didn’t want to miss this big trip to Chicago.

A pleading note was sent to the draft board, and I waited. Meantime, more and more kids were disappearing from my dorm, leaving behind dusty vacant rooms with barely a goodbye.

Drafted.

Then one day I got the letter. It said something to the effect that my physical had indeed been postponed to January 1972, in consideration of my previously scheduled 4-H activity.

I couldn’t believe it.

It turned out to be a fabulous trip. I fell in love with Chicago, met a fascinating young woman and had the (then) time of my life. That’s another story altogether. But there was still the matter of the January physical awaiting my return to Purdue.

Around Christmas there was more news. In preparation for the All-Volunteer Armed Forces and a hoped-for US withdrawal from Vietnam in 1972, the Selective Service System made policy changes that reduced the number of draftees inducted.

Not long after, I got a letter from the Draft Board that said something like “Your physical scheduled for January 1972 has been canceled. You have no further obligations to military service at this time.”

I couldn’t have had a better present from Uncle Sam.

Thanks to 4-H, I was free to live the life that 4-H had helped to launch.