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Draft

September 12, 2022 31 Comments

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I am not a coward. I just got married, we wanted kids, and I heard they were starting the draft. I came up with a plan to fail the physical. I wouldn’t fight a war I didn’t believe in.

The letter said I had two weeks. I slept only two hours a night, drank tons of coffee, and gulped down salt water. My blood pressure was so high, it felt as if my head was going to explode.

I never made it to the physical.

I look at Donna as she feeds me. I can tell she thinks I’m a coward.

By Phyllis DeMarco

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Holmes says

    September 12, 2022 at 8:22 am

    Great, clever story.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 12, 2022 at 4:25 pm

      Thank you ?

      Reply
      • Phyllis DeMarco says

        September 12, 2022 at 5:03 pm

        I meant thank you !

        Reply
  2. lee says

    September 12, 2022 at 10:56 am

    poor wife

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 12, 2022 at 4:26 pm

      Yes absolutely

      Reply
  3. Joyce Jacobo says

    September 12, 2022 at 11:49 am

    A well-crafted tale, indeed. Bravo!

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 12, 2022 at 4:27 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
      • Joyce Jacobo says

        September 14, 2022 at 3:16 pm

        You’re very welcome.

        Reply
  4. Ralph says

    September 12, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    Powerful story. Invokes really sadness. Great work

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 14, 2022 at 9:35 am

      Thank you

      Reply
  5. Lori says

    September 13, 2022 at 11:51 am

    It has me intrigued. I’d definitely read it.

    Reply
  6. Geri says

    September 13, 2022 at 3:38 pm

    Wow! Great little read. Have any
    More?

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 14, 2022 at 9:41 am

      Thank you. I do and hope to submit more soon.

      Reply
  7. Lena says

    September 13, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    I love it! It hits close to home for those of us who were young during the Vietnam War. Just those few words captured the fear that so many felt! Impossible choices.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 14, 2022 at 9:39 am

      Thank you. Since I’m an older writer, I knew older readers would be impacted by the story.

      Reply
  8. Michael Peach says

    September 14, 2022 at 9:13 am

    This is powerful and on target. I remember watching the draft lottery with great trepidation. My number was somewhere in the mid-range. My father, a conservative to the bone, told me I would not fight in the Vietnam War. Instead, I’d go to Canada and he’d meet me half-way across the Ambassador Bridge every month to give me money for living expenses. Thankfully, I never got drafted.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 14, 2022 at 9:40 am

      Thank you.
      It was a terrible time evoking mixed emotions and fear in many.

      Reply
    • Judyanna says

      September 14, 2022 at 12:34 pm

      I REALLY like your story!

      Reply
      • Phyllis DeMarco says

        September 17, 2022 at 11:03 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
  9. Rabab says

    September 14, 2022 at 10:00 am

    Very interesting.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 17, 2022 at 11:06 am

      Life can be funny that way.

      Reply
  10. Toni Brayer says

    September 14, 2022 at 11:04 am

    It shows you don’t need to go to war to be devastated by it. Well done.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 17, 2022 at 11:06 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  11. Chetana Vaishnavi says

    September 14, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    Double whammy

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 17, 2022 at 11:07 am

      A no win situation

      Reply
  12. Judyanna says

    September 14, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Michael’s story made me happy, the other one was good and hurt to read. I lived then. It hurt then too.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 17, 2022 at 11:08 am

      If I’m the other story you’re referring to, yes, it was a terrible time.

      Reply
  13. Melissa says

    September 14, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    This is a haunting, terrible story (for the plot line, not the story itself- that was great). There’s a lot of emotion in here.

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      September 17, 2022 at 11:10 am

      Thank you. I chose a painful topic for sure.

      Reply
  14. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    September 19, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    I enjoyed the read…and have heard of others doing similar… kudos…

    Reply
    • Phyllis DeMarco says

      October 29, 2022 at 5:43 pm

      Thank you.

      Reply

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