While Mac and Cheese’s home in San Jose, California, isn’t a real place, many places like this did exist as the Vietnam War progressed. By 1971, the year in which the book is set, the sentiment of many in the United States had turned against not only the war itself, but the military personnel fighting in it. As in all wars, the fighting was ugly, but unlike previous wars, camera crews were on the ground in Vietnam and captured events as they happened. Certain footage chosen to be shown on the news made people angry and sewed division. Even organizations meant to support veterans and their families weren’t sure how to move forward. Some posts within the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars turned Vietnam veterans away because of the perception that they were drug addicts and murderers.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, “a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event—either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” But this terminology didn’t exist at the time of the Vietnam War. Anthony Rossi, Lucy’s dad, was certainly suffering from this when he came home, along with many of his fellow veterans. But there wasn’t help for them at the time. Flashbacks and severe anxiety made it difficult for men to adjust to life back in the States with their families. The behaviors derived from these symptoms were a large part of the reason the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars decided to turn them away. The problems were just too great, and these organizations were not equipped to handle the many and varied psychological needs of the Vietnam veterans when they came home.
Also, the men coming home were very young. Because of the draft, many men serving in the war were between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. Men could receive a deferment, or a delay in service, for going to college, working in an industry that helped the war effort, being the head of a family or having a physical ailment that prevented them from serving. But not all men. Most who were given deferments were in the upper classes, leaving the poor and minority communities to serve.
The draft happened the way it did in the story, once per year from 1969 to 1972. Induction through the draft ended in June 1973, and the war ended on April 30, 1975. The way the draft worked was by pulling birth dates and corresponding numbers from 001 to 365 (366 in 1972, a leap year). Then, each of the birth dates would be placed on a large board beside their corresponding number. In 1971, the year of the story, Josh Giovanioli’s birth date pulled number 023. He, along with every other person whose birth date corresponded with the numbers 001 through 095, would have been called for service in 1972. The table below shows how many birth dates were called each year for service. On the following page is a table where you can look up your own birth date to see if you would have been drafted into the Vietnam War along with Josh in 1971.
|
SERVICE YEAR |
DATE OF DRAWING |
ADMIN. PROCESSING NUMBER (NO. OF BIRTH DATES DRAFTED) |
|
1970 |
December 1, 1969 |
195 |
|
1971 |
July 1, 1970 |
125 |
|
1972 |
August 5, 1971 |
095 |
|
1973 |
February 2, 1972 |
095 |
|
SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM 1972 RANDOM SELECTION SEQUENCE, BY MONTH AND DAY (JANUARY THROUGH JUNE) |
||||||
|
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
|
|
1 |
207 |
306 |
364 |
096 |
154 |
274 |
|
2 |
225 |
028 |
184 |
129 |
261 |
363 |
|
3 |
246 |
250 |
170 |
262 |
177 |
054 |
|
4 |
264 |
092 |
283 |
158 |
137 |
187 |
|
5 |
265 |
233 |
172 |
294 |
041 |
078 |
|
6 |
242 |
148 |
327 |
297 |
050 |
218 |
|
7 |
292 |
304 |
149 |
058 |
106 |
288 |
|
8 |
287 |
208 |
229 |
035 |
216 |
084 |
|
9 |
338 |
130 |
077 |
289 |
311 |
140 |
|
10 |
231 |
276 |
360 |
194 |
220 |
226 |
|
11 |
090 |
351 |
332 |
324 |
107 |
202 |
|
12 |
228 |
340 |
258 |
165 |
052 |
273 |
|
13 |
183 |
118 |
173 |
271 |
105 |
047 |
|
14 |
285 |
064 |
203 |
248 |
267 |
113 |
|
15 |
325 |
214 |
319 |
222 |
162 |
008 |
|
16 |
074 |
353 |
347 |
023 |
205 |
068 |
|
17 |
009 |
198 |
117 |
251 |
270 |
193 |
|
18 |
051 |
189 |
168 |
139 |
085 |
102 |
|
19 |
195 |
210 |
053 |
049 |
055 |
044 |
|
20 |
310 |
086 |
200 |
039 |
119 |
030 |
|
21 |
206 |
015 |
280 |
342 |
012 |
296 |
|
22 |
108 |
013 |
345 |
126 |
164 |
059 |
|
23 |
349 |
116 |
089 |
179 |
197 |
336 |
|
24 |
337 |
359 |
133 |
021 |
060 |
328 |
|
25 |
002 |
335 |
219 |
238 |
024 |
213 |
|
26 |
114 |
136 |
122 |
045 |
026 |
346 |
|
27 |
072 |
217 |
232 |
124 |
241 |
007 |
|
28 |
357 |
083 |
215 |
281 |
091 |
057 |
|
29 |
266 |
305 |
343 |
109 |
081 |
196 |
|
30 |
268 |
--- |
191 |
029 |
301 |
123 |
|
31 |
239 |
--- |
161 |
--- |
018 |
--- |
|
(JULY THROUGH DECEMBER) |
||||||
|
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
|
|
1 |
284 |
180 |
302 |
071 |
366 |
038 |
|
2 |
061 |
326 |
070 |
076 |
190 |
099 |
|
3 |
103 |
176 |
321 |
144 |
300 |
040 |
|
4 |
142 |
272 |
032 |
066 |
166 |
001 |
|
5 |
286 |
063 |
147 |
339 |
211 |
252 |
|
6 |
185 |
155 |
110 |
006 |
186 |
356 |
|
7 |
354 |
355 |
042 |
080 |
017 |
141 |
|
8 |
320 |
157 |
043 |
317 |
260 |
065 |
|
9 |
022 |
153 |
199 |
254 |
237 |
027 |
|
10 |
234 |
025 |
046 |
312 |
227 |
362 |
|
11 |
223 |
034 |
329 |
201 |
244 |
056 |
|
12 |
169 |
269 |
308 |
257 |
259 |
249 |
|
13 |
278 |
365 |
094 |
236 |
247 |
204 |
|
14 |
307 |
309 |
253 |
036 |
316 |
275 |
|
15 |
088 |
020 |
303 |
075 |
318 |
003 |
|
16 |
291 |
358 |
243 |
159 |
120 |
128 |
|
17 |
182 |
295 |
178 |
188 |
298 |
293 |
|
18 |
131 |
011 |
104 |
134 |
175 |
073 |
|
19 |
100 |
150 |
255 |
163 |
333 |
019 |
|
20 |
095 |
115 |
313 |
331 |
125 |
221 |
|
21 |
067 |
033 |
016 |
282 |
330 |
341 |
|
22 |
132 |
082 |
145 |
263 |
093 |
156 |
|
23 |
151 |
143 |
323 |
152 |
181 |
171 |
|
24 |
004 |
256 |
277 |
212 |
062 |
245 |
|
25 |
121 |
192 |
224 |
138 |
097 |
135 |
|
26 |
350 |
348 |
344 |
069 |
209 |
361 |
|
27 |
235 |
352 |
314 |
098 |
240 |
290 |
|
28 |
127 |
037 |
005 |
010 |
031 |
174 |
|
29 |
146 |
279 |
048 |
079 |
230 |
101 |
|
30 |
112 |
334 |
299 |
087 |
014 |
167 |
|
31 |
315 |
111 |
--- |
160 |
--- |
322 |
* Table pulled from the Selective Service System government website at sss.gov.