The year was 1967. The Vietnam war is raging and
the selective service draft system is in full tilt operation. I had just graduated from Ohio State
University. I really wasn't too aware of the draft
system, and applied to graduate school. Although
I wasn't aware of the draft system, it seems they were aware of me. The net effect was that I
received a draft notice shortly after I graduated. The notice to appear was clear, but it seemed I might
still have some options.
The options were to either try to find a National Guard slot, to volunteer
or to be inducted as a draftee. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to
find a NG slot, none were to be found. The alternatives appeared to be
my options and I was not too keen on being drafted. The advantage of
being drafted was that the commitment was limited to two years, in
contrast to a regular Army enlistment, which was three years. The disadvantage of being drafted
is that you probably would be assigned to an infantry position, One thing was very
clear and that was the date and time I was to appear for a pre induction physical.
When I appeared at the Ft. Hayes induction center, I was subjected to a battery of tests. I
scored high on all the exams, but highest on the language aptitide test. This was not a surprise
to me, since I had taken four years of Latin in high school.
In any event, the induction center counselor advised me that as a result of my high scores, I might want to consider
the Army Security Agency, and language school.
Army Security Agency ? I had never heard of it, nor did I have any reason to have heard of it. The counselor
was pleasant enough and he was able to provide a comprehensive description of the ASA, and it didn't sound
too bad, given the only remaining alternative. The only downside that I could see, was that the ASA would require a
four year, regular Army enlistment.
