By Jeremy P. Amick The narrative often shared by Vietnam veterans is that when they graduated from high school in the mid-to-late 1960s, they either enlisted in the military because they believed they would be drafted or they went to work, simply biding time until their draft letter arrived. California, Mo., veteran Robert Cliburn chose the latter and began working at a plant in Jefferson City after his graduation from Russellville High School in 1965. “I had two older brothers who had joined the Navy,” said Cliburn. “After I finished (high) school, my father asked me what I was going to do and I said, ‘I think I’ll take my chances and go to work,’ but I was really just waiting to be drafted.” Whether foresight or simply an educated guess, Cliburn received “a big brown envelope” in September 1966, which contained his draft letter—an abrupt welcome to the world of the United States Army. In less than two weeks, the 19-year-old draftee processed through Jefferson Barracks and spent a few days at Ft. Leonard Wood. He and a large group of trainees were then loaded on Greyhound buses and transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas, where they were attached to the First Armored Division for their basic and advanced training. “At some point, they conducted interviews with (the trainees),” Cliburn explained. “I told them that I was a farmer and could run a tractor, and that my father was in the bulldozer business and that I could operate a dozer
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