History of Feminism

OutNow

(899 posts)

10. My plan? Avoid dying in the Vietnam War

Reply to Tuesday Afternoon (Original post)

Fri Mar 7, 2014, 05:15 PM

Mar 2014

I was 18 in 1968. A good year for hippies, drugs, rock and roll. A bad year if you were a 18 year old male facing the draft and an almost certain job as ground pounder for the US Army in Vietnam.

I was one of many poor kids who didn't have college as a viable way out of the draft, so like many of my peers who joined the Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard as a solution to getting drafted into the US Army, I enlisted in the Air Force. The Coast Guard was not taking any recruits at the time.

That met my goal. I did have to cut my long hair and ditch the love beads and wear a uniform, but it was amazing how many of my enlisted peers were just hippies doing their best to avoid the infantry. Lots of Hendrix playing on the record player in the day room, lots of weed smoked out in the back of the barracks.

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Age 18. What were your plans? What did you [View all] Tuesday Afternoon Mar 2014 OP

I was already a mother ismnotwasm Mar 2014 #1

You still are bad assed JustAnotherGen Mar 2014 #13

I wouldn't call them dreams per se JustAnotherGen Mar 2014 #2

Wanted to be an officer on a nuclear sub exboyfil Mar 2014 #3

When I was 18 I didn't know what to do with my life besides go to college. Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #4

No plans. Bounced house to house and lived in my car, kept short term part time jobs, Ed Suspicious Mar 2014 #5

All I wanted when I was 18... MadrasT Mar 2014 #6

I was on my way to university in Nova Scotia. There, I wanted to fall in love with applegrove Mar 2014 #7

My goal was to make $1,000 per month. Downwinder Mar 2014 #8

18 was VERY long ago. Awknid Mar 2014 #9

My plan? Avoid dying in the Vietnam War OutNow Mar 2014 #10

I couldn't be farther away from what I thought my life would be at 18, and I couldn't be happier Squinch Mar 2014 #11

I had a long list tacked to my bedroom door in the Midwest when I was 18 GeoWilliam750 Mar 2014 #12

The only thing I really wanted at that age laundry_queen Mar 2014 #14

I wanted to be a ballroom dancer, but I wasn't very good. Sheldon Cooper Mar 2014 #15

When I was 18 I wanted to Texasgal Mar 2014 #16