Great picture, Drew. Brings back a lot of memories.

Back about 1958 my local board had me classified "1A". In the intervening years I had student deferments, but by 1963 I was "1A" again and things were heating up in Viet Nam. Getting drafted meant an almost certain trip to Viet Nam; a one-way trip for far to many good men! Not particularly desiring to embark on that adventure, I joined the Washington State National Guard, committing myself to a 6-year period of active duty training followed by monthly (or weekly) meetings and annual summer camps.

My active duty began on January 9, 1964 after a two day train trip from Spokane to Oakland, and a bus ride to Ft. Ord on the scenic Monterey peninsula. This California experience lasted until the end of May, 1964. I did manage to escape Ft. Ord several times and I got to see the FM trainmasters in San Francisco SP commute service, the Del Monte train, and brand new Kraus Maffai diesel hydraulics fresh off of the boat in Oakland. I even got into the deserted Sacramento shops on Memorial day and gave myself a self-guided tour.

Richard Nixon, for all his faults, was the one who FINALLY had the balls to GET US OUT of Viet Nam in 1975.