Odd O'blography

Coming of Age

I grew up in the shadow of the Vietnam War. It was the first war to be televised in real time, and the news anchors included body counts in their evening broadcasts. I'd listen to the grisly accounts after going to bed, my transistor radio turned low so my parents wouldn't know that I was still awake. Thoughts of killing or being killed made it difficult to sleep. The older guys talked about their numbers in the draft lottery, and we all knew at least one gold-star family. I'd toss and turn while trying to decide if I should 'do my duty' or join the protests against an immoral conflict. I knew, even then, that the war was wrong.

Fortunately, the draft never affected me. The final draft lottery of the Vietnam era occurred the month before I turned eighteen. Gerald Ford ended the military draft in March of 1975, so I wasn't even required to register. Jimmy Carter reinstated the registration requirement in 1980 for men born after January 1, 1960. I fell into the 33-month gap of those born between May 1957 and December 1959 who were completely exempt. I still don't know what I would have done had I been called up.

The lottery process during the Vietnam era was ostensibly meant to ensure fairness, but it still provided advantages to those with wealth and/or political connections. Those who could afford college tuition 'bought' student deferments (Bill Clinton) and those with political influence were given posts in the reserves or the national guard (George W. Bush). And the least honorable could obtain questionable medical deferments (Donald Trump).

Perhaps the biggest impact of the Vietnam War was lowering the legal age of adulthood from twenty-one to eighteen. Prior to 1971, an eighteen-year old needed parental consent to marry or to buy a car. But, by the height of the Vietnam conflict, there were protests against sending those too young to vote off to war. The cynical response was to lower the age of majority to maintain the supply of soldiers. Eighteen-year olds were given all the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Instead of protecting immature young adults, conservatives made them targets. In addition to voting and being killed in Vietnam, young people also became legitimate prey for used car salesmen and credit card companies. Talk about a win-win!

Many states even dropped the legal age for drinking to eighteen or nineteen. This was a real boon for the liquor companies, but it had a terrible influence on high school kids. Half of the seniors could legally buy booze to sneak into school functions. The impact on society was so negative that all states have since raised the drinking age back to twenty-one. But not the age for draftees! An eighteen-year old may be too immature to handle his beer, but he's plenty old enough to handle a gun.

Full disclosure, I had a pretty wild senior year in high school and continued to 'party hearty' throughout my freshman year in college. I actually switched dorms as a sophomore to avoid my drinking buddies. I didn't completely stop drinking, but cutting back was an important part of finishing my degree. Looking back, I can honestly say that I wasn't a mature adult at age eighteen or even nineteen. The necessity of changing the drinking age back to twenty-one proves my point. I think it would be better to change the age of majority back to twenty-one. Those who can't be trusted with liquor shouldn't be drafted into the military, shouldn't vote, and shouldn't be allowed to enter into financial contracts either.