Number "98"

So, on this Veteran's Day, what in the world could the number "98" mean???

Well, in the Restaurant Business (Mr. Steak) I did manage restaurant number 98, which was located on Fair Oaks Blvd near Howe Ave...part of "The Pavilions" now days.  

But back in the day, "98" was my lottery draft number.  The Viet Nam (now written ad Vietnam) War was winding down...I remember watching news account after news account on March 29, 1973, the day the U.S. withdrew from Nam.  All those deaths (58,220 deaths, 2,646 MIA) for WHAT???  The reasons baffle me to this day...if you fight a war, you fight to win!  And these numbers don't include the countless veterans who have suffered, and many who have died, the slow and horrible deaths due to the lethal impacts of Agent Orange.  Back in 1969 when the lottery started, having a number of "98" was a sure draftee.  In my year, with the war winding down, it was considered a high number...I think they drafted a few who had numbers under 25 for that lottery year.  If you had 95 or under, you were considered 1-A, which meant, available for military service.

Dad served in the Navy from 1946-1947.  Although WW2 ended in September of 1945, the dates are different for active service during WW2. The government defines WW2 service as follows:  December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946, inclusive. If the veteran was in service on December 31, 1946, continuous service before July 26, 1947, is considered World War II service.

Four of Mom's brothers served in the Navy during WW2, one of whom was at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day but he survived, another died due to a Kamikaze plane hitting the USS Bunker Hill, an Essex-class aircraft carrier in May 1945, just two months before the war ended. Dad's brother had a heart murmur, the military disqualified many people with heart conditions, including those with valvular heart disease, to avoid having to pay veterans' disability benefits after the war.  Uncle "Red" lived to be 84 years old.  Mom's youngest brother was in the Air Force.

Brother-in-Law Arny served in the Navy during Nam, to this day he wishes he was assigned to a ship so he could help out with the war, but his value was more valuable here in the states.  A HUGE Nascar fan, he ALWAYS stands for the playing of the National Anthem before each race...and would do the same watching football, but they rarely show that anymore.

My ancestry goes back to the Mayflower...I have countless numbers of ancestors who served in the military...like Peter Burdick, 1703-1800.  He served in the Rhode Island Militia where he was appointed an Ensign in May,1737. Later he was made a Lieutenant in June of 1742.  He served in this group until 1743.  On the last Tuesday of February, 1727-8, he was admitted as a Freeman at Westerly.  His service was in the 2nd Co. Westerly Militia.  Peter's grandfather was, by most accounts, the first Burdick in America, arriving before 1655 when he married Ruth Hubbard.

Thank you for your SERVICE...