The institution of the draft lottery in December 1969 had little or nothing to do with the withdrawal of troops or the rising tide of protest. Nor, to the best of my personal recollection, did it have any significant change in the types of draft deferrals available. By the end of 1969, troop levels on the ground in Vietnam were down nearly 200,000 from their 1968 high of over 530,000. Fact is, the basic reason for the lottery was that fewer troops were needed as the war drew down, for which we can largely thank (shudder) Richard Nixon.

The sons of the wealthy and the middle class were never exempt. On the other hand, they could afford to stay in college, thus qualifying for their II-S draft status, and study Underwater Basketweaving or something equally useful until they turned 27 and were out of danger.