A Minnesota PBS Initiative
The Last Drafted
The year was 1973. I was a senior in high school sitting in a Social Studies class with other seniors. Our teacher was a Bataan Death March survivor - which he talked about only once.
Our teacher asked us to look around the room, solemnly saying, "Half of you will not come back from Vietnam." But the conflict in Vietnam was scaling down by then. Yet, the males of my graduating class were the last required to register for the draft.
As we scanned the room with new awareness, we wondered... who?
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Cottage Grove, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Le Sueur, MN, United States 
Story Subject: Memorial
Story Themes: Ann Mattson, Bataan Death March, Civilian, Cottage Grove, Draft, High School, Le Sueur, Memorial, Read