Funny story. I was a stinkin’ liberal (lost my dad at 14 and ignorant to the ways of the world) coming out of high school headed for UW Madistan. I sent my student deferment card into my local draftboard addressed to “The Selective Circus” C/O “Rice Paddy Sweepstakes” in a pink perfumed envelope with an upside down American Flag stamp. Apparently I had made a mistake on the application that allowed them to disallow it. They threw my ass into the lottery. My number was 208...they drafted up to number 207 that year. Life is funny.
I was one number away also, they made the final draw for the April draft. They never drew any more numbers that (long) year.
I think the military would have improved my later life. Not Vietnam though, which is where I would have been sent as cannon fodder.