<P> On July 1, the drawing date, one drum was rotated for an hour and the other for a half - hour (its rotating mechanism failed). Pairs of capsules were then drawn, one from each drum, one with a 1951 birthdate and one with a number 1 to 366 . The first date and number drawn were September 16 and 139, so all men born September 16, 1951, were assigned draft number 139 . The 11th draws were the date July 9 and the number 1, so men born July 9 were assigned draft number 1 and drafted first . </P> <P> The military draft method used back in the 1950s and 60s involved using dates and numbers mixed randomly and then drawn to decide who would go to war . In present - day not much has changed on how the draft would be conducted if it was ever needed . The Selective Service Committee who presides over the draft procedures still have a large tumbler that holds all the number and dates that will be drawn to select candidates and the only thing that seems to have changed between the method of the past and the present one is that instead of using pieces of paper in blue capsules the SSC now uses ping pong balls with the dates and numbers on them . </P>

What were the odds of being drafted to vietnam