Beer Not Students

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The draft lottery of 1969 was instated on December 1, 1969. The Selective Service System conducted two lotteries for the Vietnam War for men born between 1944 through 1950. The saying of “draft beer not students” could be seen at various campuses throughout the United States even before the official draft during the Vietnam War. An article appeared in the Middleboro Daily News on March 22, 1967 that discussed one instance of students using this saying on posters. The Draft Director, Lewis B. Hershey often visited college campuses, often under the sponsorship of student groups, to speak about the misconceptions surrounding the draft. However, “since the development of the Vietnam war, pacifists have taken Hershey and the draft as symbols of the war effort and backed up their views with heckling, picketing, walk outs, sit-ins and unruly behavior.” In one of Hershey’s talks at Howard University a “screaming group of 50 students surrounded him and waved posters saying the draft was ‘unfair to the black man’ and ‘draft beer, not college students.’” (pg. 2)

“Draft Beer, Not Students Signs Tell Gen. Hershey” (1967, March 22). Middelsboro Daily News.