Why I didn't have to go to Nam

I was 22 years old, working the front desk at the DeVille Motel near O'hare Airport in Chicago the night I watched my future flash before my eyes. I had the TV tuned to the first draft lottery since WWll. They didn't call my name, but they did call my number...

THE VIETNAM LOTTERIES
A lottery drawing - the first since 1942 - was held on December 1, 1969, at Selective Service National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This event determined the order of call for induction during calendar year 1970, that is, for registrants born between January 1, 1944, and December 31, 1950. Re institution of the lottery was a change from the "draft the oldest man first" method, which had been the determining method for deciding order of call.
There were 366 blue plastic capsules containing birth dates placed in a large glass container and drawn by hand to assign order-of-call numbers to all men within the 18-26 age range specified in Selective Service law. With radio, film and TV coverage, the capsules were drawn from the container, opened, and the dates inside posted in order. The first capsule - drawn by Congressman Alexander Pirnie (R-NY) of the House Armed Services Committee - contained the date September 14, so all men born on September 14 in any year between 1944 and 1950 were assigned lottery number 1. The drawing continued until all days of the year had been paired with sequence numbers.
My birthday is August 14th, which was picked number 198. That year they drafted through 195... I was 1-A and had already passed my physical since they processed through #215. My draft board told me to not plan on being home for Christmas.  But the good Lord had other plans for me.