OralHistoryReflection



For our Oral History Project, we focused on our topic about the home front in America and about the draft and how many people opposed the draft in America. Throughout this war, America began to send more and more troops through the draft making more teenagers to begin to oppose the war. We were able to have an interview with Andrea's Uncle, Bill and Bill's brother Mark about their experience in Vietnam. After the interview, I really was able to understand the hardships and struggles America faced in this war. America fought a different terrain than other wars. The Vietcong fought guerilla warfare style forcing Americans to change their tactics when trying to defeat the Vietcong. Everywhere soldiers moved they could either get blown up by grenades or killed by deadly booby traps. We learned from Bill that although he missed the draft by a little, his brother did go to the war not by the draft but by volunteer. Bill had just graduated high school in 1970 during the war. When we asked him about the draft and his feeling about it he told us "  The lottery for the first draft was in 1969 - while I was still in high school and my brother was back from Vietnam. I didn't think too much about it since I was planning on going to college and as long as you were in college you were okay. However, the lottery for the draft for my year (people born in 1952) was in the summer of 1971 - that was really scary." We also asked him about his draft number which is 133 on the year of 1971. On the year of 1971, the government only took 1-125, so Bill just missed the cut by a little. Through the beginning part of the interview, I really understand how people were scared of the draft. I understand that the draft was opposed by many because it didn't allow American the freedom to say if they wanted to join the army or not. Here Bill explains about his draft and what the government did to pick the people going to Vietnam. " My brother didn't have a draft number since he had enlisted in 1966. My number was 133 (born March 24). The way the lottery worked was that they would randomly pick birth dates. If you were born on the first birth date picked you were first in line to be drafted. They went through all 365 days, with the last one's picked being assigned 365 (I'm not sure if 1952 was a leap year, if it was then the last number would have been 365). My year they were expecting to draft up to number 125, so I was over that number and felt safe. I don't have a copy of my draft card, not sure what I did with it. The first lottery was in 1969 for those born in 1950, the second lottery in 1970 for those born in 1951 and the third lottery (mine) was in 1971 for those born in 1952. Since my brother was born in 1947 he was covered by the old system, still a draft but not using the lottery." I have learned a lot throughout this interview. I have learned the importance of the draft and people who opposed it. I also learned about the home front and there use for this war.

