December 1, 1969

December 1, 1969, marks the draft lottery that determined the order of induction for 1970 and turned the possibility of military service into an immediate threat to the band. The results were uneven: Billy Dunne and Graham Dunne were unlikely to be called, but Chuck Williams drew number 2 and soon faced departure for Vietnam.

The 1970 Draft Lottery

The U.S. Selective Service System held the lottery on December 1, 1969. Birth dates shaped the band members’ prospects: Billy Dunne and Graham Dunne, both born in December, received unusually high numbers. Warren Rhodes just missed the cutoff, Pete Loving landed in the middle, and Chuck Williams, born April 24, 1949, was assigned number 2.

Consequences for the Band

Chuck’s low number meant that the lottery was not an abstract ranking: he was called for the draft. Graham later recalled sitting with him at Chuck’s kitchen table while Chuck said he was going to Vietnam. Billy and Graham tried to think of ways he could avoid service, but Chuck said he was not a coward. At the last show Graham remembers playing with Chuck, at a bar near Duquesne, Graham promised that Chuck could return to the band when he was done.

Chuck’s absence also began a change in the band’s lineup. Billy played Chuck’s parts for a while; after the band heard that Eddie Loving had become a good guitarist, they invited him to audition. The lottery thus set in motion both Chuck’s departure for military service and the search for a musician to fill the space he left.