Page 24 - Stand Down Vietnam

1966

TV announcers are really getting into it. The war
dominates the news. Vietnamese body counts, and
American dead and wounded reports scream from the TV.
It all seems so surreal. It is real; he watches it
every night on the TV!

Vietnam was unknown to most Americans only a few years
ago. Now, it is the biggest story on TV. Teachers are
talking about the war – not war. The hippies have
turned to violent protesting.

The teenager is not happy. August is just a few months
away. Eighteen is just a few months away. Confusion
has set in. There is talk of guys going to Canada.
The protestors are becoming more violent.

“They won’t call my number – right? They take the
older guys first – right?”

Best strategy: Stay in school. Worst case: Do what
it takes to fail the testing. Get a classification of
4F; unfit for military service. The young, confused
teen knows little about how things really work. He
will soon learn that his idea of failing induction
tests is flawed thinking.

1967

Two years make a major difference. The young teen is
now eighteen and considered by many to be a young man.
Before his nineteenth birthday, he will be a private in
the U. S. Army.