Marine, thank you for your service to our country. In September 1969 I was in senior year ROTC.
My draft lottery number was: 8
I was commissioned in 1970, flew helicopters in Vietnam, and am currently a volunteer for Iraq as CW4 USAR.
My service doesn't even compare to yours. Had I been smart, I would have taken ROTC in college but I was hoping things would be all over with by the time I graduated in '69. Well, not quite, as it turned out.
In my 2 years in the USMC, I never left the east coast. Later on, I joined my local unit of the Army National Guard and spent almost 13 years in it. Would have stayed in to get my 20 years but they were throwing out old fat farts like me by the thousands in 1992. (Remember the "peace dividend"?) :(
Have a happy birthday on Thursday. And thanks for serving.