---
title: "Today in military history: US holds first Vietnam War draft"
date: "2021-12-01"
modified: "2023-12-02"
authors:
  - name: "Team Mighty"
    job_title: "Author"
    link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty.md"
url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-us-holds-first-vietnam-war-draft/"
categories:
  - "History"
---

# Today in military history: US holds first Vietnam War draft

![](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Vietnam-War-Draft.png>)

On Dec. 1, 1969, a draft lottery was held to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War.

It was the first lottery used to order men into military service since 1942. It applied to registrants born between Jan. 1, 1944 and Dec. 31, 1950, and the event was broadcast on radio, film, and television.

Three hundred sixty-six blue capsules containing birth dates were mixed in a shoe box, then placed in a large glass container and drawn by hand to randomly assign order-of-call numbers to all men born within the 18 to 26 age range specified by law.

## Who was picked?

New York Representative Alexander Pirnie drew the first capsule — it contained the date September 14th, so all men born on September 14 in any year between 1944 and 1950 were assigned lottery number 1. The drawing continued for every day in the year.

https://youtu.be/juRNffn5Ukk

The last drawing for the lottery was on March 12, 1975.

In total, 1,728,344 men were drafted during the Vietnam War, and 648,500 of them were sent to Vietnam. They accounted for just over 30% of combat deaths, with 17,725 lives lost.

Today, the U.S. military is an all-volunteer force, but registration for conscription remains the law — just as a contingency plan. Many tried to [dodge the draft](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/lists/vietnam-draft-dodger.md>) altogether. All male citizens of the United States and male immigrants (and bizarrely, [illegal](<https://www.sss.gov/Registration/Why-Register>) immigrants, too) have to register for the Selective Service System (SSS — aka “The Draft”) within 30 days of their 18th birthday.

## Author
Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees.

## More

- [11 ways Americans dodged the Vietnam War draft](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/lists/vietnam-draft-dodger.md>)
- [The Vietnam War draft wasn’t as random as you think](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-the-vietnam-draft-wasnt-as-random-as-you-think.md>)
- [Everything you need to know about how the Vietnam War draft actually worked](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/vietnam-draft.md>)
- [Here’s what happens when the US starts a military draft](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/feature/what-happens-in-a-military-draft.md>)
- [Everything families need to know about autism diagnosis and automatic draft registration](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/feature/autism-families-draft-registration.md>)
- [How to see if you would have been drafted to fight in Vietnam](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/this-is-how-to-see-if-you-would-have-been-drafted-for-vietnam.md>)
- [Eligible American males will soon be automatically registered for the draft](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/military-news/automatic-register-the-draft.md>)
- [Top brass wants women to register for the draft](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/us-army-marine-corps-top-brass-want-women-register-draft.md>)