...after my dad was drafted and spent four years in the Air Force...Either your dad was drafted OR he enlisted in the Air Force -- pick one. If he had been drafted, he would have spent two years in either the Army or possibly the Marine Corps.
The Air Force and the Navy (in my case) were where people went to avoid getting drafted.
Deep breath........... And relax Bob.............repeat
I got that notice, “Greetings from the President of the United States” back in early 1966. I then went and joined the US Air Force.
Two days later I then got another letter from the draft board...”Our monthly quota of draftees is complete. You are not needed at this time. Do not report to the Draft Board.”
Bummer. I was already in for four years.
LOL
And all this time I've been pleased with myself about the reactions I'd get when I told about enlisting to evade the draft....
After a couple of years' exposure to ROTC units at the college I'd attended, when I well and truly screwed up in '64 and dropped out, then promptly got my "Greetings" letter, it didn't take more than the time to find a recruiter to decide I wanted no part at all with any of those fledgling AhMay types in charge. Even if all I did was police up the area and go to the latrine under their command.
Wound up with less sea duty time than some people had falling overboard, got shot at (accidentally and without effect) exactly one time and have forever since referred to the whole affair as My Ten Million Dollar Experience: Wouldn't take a million for the people I met and the places/things I saw, wouldn't take NINE damn million to do it again.
I'm not sure you have it quite right here. He might have received his draft notice (="been drafted") and decided to tough it out (which would have been for only two years); or then elected to enlist in the Air Force instead, which would then have been for two years longer, but with much less likely direct exposure to combat, and perhaps an opportunity to learn a trade useful after discharge.
If so, SJackson's statement would be correct. In either cases, his/her father would have served with honor, not as a draft dodger, as one might infer from your reply.
Draft dodgers went to Canada, or stretched out their time in a college or grad school someplace. Like Bill Clinton.
I spent six years in the Army National Guard as a citizen soldier in the in-between years after Korea but before Vietnam, always taking the chance of being summarily called in as a unit directly into combat should the need arise; but with an Honorable Discharge Certificate at the end.
That also was a proof against being drafted, if you enlisted in the Army or Air National Guard for a certain commitment, rather than taking the chance of "winning" in the draft lottery.
Your draft classification went from 1-A to 4-A by this step. For me, that was 60 years ago.
I did 20 months in 1969-70.
Either your dad was drafted OR he enlisted in the Air Force — pick one. If he had been drafted, he would have spent two years in either the Army or possibly the Marine Corps.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I enlisted in the A.F. in July 1963 and served with draftees in the A.F.
When recruiting goals were not met, various branches received draftees.
Always exceptions to the rule.
My buddy was drafted during the last lottery of the Viet Nam era.
He tried to enlist in the USAF and USN but couldn't pass the physicals because of a birth defect that left him knock-kneed and pigeon toed (kinda-sorta "ran" the 100 yard "dash" in 18 seconds as a personal best) - the Army welcomed him with open arms.
His father went to his Congress Critter and he was finally allowed to enlist in the USAF instead of reporting to the Army. He ended up spending 20 honorable years.
At any rate, he was actually drafted but ended up in the AF.