Bill Perry

Camden, New Jersey - United States Army

Those of us born in 1947 knew we were all going to get drafted if we were in any kind of decent physical shape.  If you had money you could get out one way or the other.  If you knew doctors or knew lawyers, you could do it.  Me and the working-class kids I hung out with didn't know anything about resistance.  We didn't know any anti drat groups and had no way of getting the information on how to beat a physical or how to avoid serving.  There’s a million organizations that would help you avoid the draft but me and my peer group didn't know any of them.  We grew up by the steel mills right down the street.  That's all we knew.

On the 21st of November, the typical 55,000 suckers were drafted.  I saw my other friends getting nailed and I knew it was coming down for me.  That following month I was one of those 55,000.  It was like clockwork.  They wanted us and they got us.  They were in a hurry to get us ground up in the meat grinder.  Most of us knew we were going into the infantry.  That scared a lot of people into signing up for three years or more for special military occupational specialties called MOS.  I decided to do two years of infantry because I figured everyone else is going.  So I went.  I already knew how to fire a rifle and how to do a lot of the exercises they had for us.  I was a pretty damn good shot and that's all the army cares about.  That you're in good physical shape, can do the physical training, score well in your marksmanship, and march.  I just fell into it all.