Why Nam?

Why did I go...  I was ordered to.  Why was I in the Air Force... I was required to join the military.

Prior to 1970 the USA had a draft system.  When a boy turned 18 he had to register at the Draft Board... and I believe he still has to register today.  If he wasn't going to school he would be forced into the Army when his turn came.  If he was going to school ... it was a deferment, he didn't have to go.  College, Dental School, Med School and others qualified for the deferment.  Between 1964 and 1973, 1.8 million men were drafted.  Some friends joined the military through the reserve (a safe option back in those days... they didn't get activated)... some became teachers and received an emergency deferment from the draft.  I missed that boat... I waited too late.

Prior to actually being drafted you had to take a draft physical.  I am sure nearly everyone wanted to fail.  If you did fail (my friends) you went out and partied and enjoyed the rest of your life.  If you had flat feet (no arch)...  party time...

I graduated from Baylor and was waiting to hear if I got in to Dental School when I was reclassified and soon after had to take my Draft Physical... Unfortunately I was healthy.  I was about to get drafted into the US Army and go to Vietnam.  So... I joined the Air Force... I had passed the test to be a pilot.  I had to go to OTS (Officer Training School) which was 90 days long.  After that came pilot training and that was a year long.  Surely the war would be over by then...

The Vietnam War was highly unpopular.  There is plenty to read about it on the internet.  There were anti-war protests on most college campuses.  Between 200,000 and 400,000 young men left the country because they didn't want to be drafted.  They were called "Draft Dodgers".  Years later President Ford gave them amnesty and they could come back to the US if they would reaffirm their allegiance to the US and serve 2 years of public service.  Later President Carter gave them complete amnesty. 

If you could get into college and afford to go you might be considered a "Fortunate Son" by some.  Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote a song by that title...  Fortunate Son... click HERE to hear it.  What great music we had back then.

So off I went to Officer Training School (OTS)... I was a "90 Day Wonder"... as some enlisted guys called us.  While in OTS the Draft system changed and they went to a lottery system... based on your birthday.  I was lucky, my number was 327... I would never be drafted.  However, I was already in the Air Force and if I quit OTS I would have to stay in 4 years as an enlisted man... So I stayed in OTS.

While OTS I became good friends with Jimmy Huard...  Your friends in the military were usually alphabetically close to your last name.  Jimmy's wife had twin boys while we were there.  Jimmy and I were assigned to the same pilot training base when we graduated from OTS. 

My girlfriend (Martha) came to visit me while I was in OTS and we got engaged... she knew what she was getting into...  We will never forget New Years Eve 1969 in the Officer Trainee Club... We all sang "Goodbye OTS" to this song... Click Here  ... try quickly shouting OTS right after Goodbye in the chorus.

Soon after that Jimmy and I were off to 52 weeks of pilot training in beautiful Big Springs, Texas.