Being a young adult between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five can be very difficult. I know this because I'm twenty-two years old. At this age there are many worries about the future and career. Making many important decisions that will affect the rest of your life is common in these eras. This is the age when most people get married, start a family and buy their own home. Many young men and women in this age group are graduating high school and ready to start their careers. Being a young adult can be very challenging; however, it can be the best time of your life. These aspects of life as a young adult were not much different during the Vietnam era. Unfortunately, many of these men were unable to make these decisions. Millions of men were forced, conscripted, into a battle that many “considered illegal and immoral (Maxwell 37). It is hard to imagine being forced to put life on hold, leave your family, and risk your life fighting a war. Some men were against the draft and were determined to find ways to avoid it; on the other hand, many men accepted the terms of the draft. I believe that a person has the right to make his own decision about fighting in a war. In the Vietnam era, the a man's concerns as he was drafted ranged from improving his and his family's life to the decision to go to war or find an alternative. Going to war meant personal hardship, loss of income, abandonment of family, and the potential for losing one's life. I can understand a person's determination to avoid the draft. Whatever choices the men made, the consequences were dangerous and sometimes deadly. Until 1973, the choice of men of draft age was to serve in the military, receive a deferment if qualified and. ava...... middle of paper......, the draft ended and the United States converted to an all-volunteer army. Many people were not in a good mood about the Vietnam War and thought we shouldn't be involved in it. Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, laments that “we will not send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys should do for themselves” (Vietnam-Facts.info). There is a popular image of a protest sign displaying the words "hell no, we won't go". I believe Americans should have the right to choose whether or not to go to war. Many young people lost their lives fighting a battle they didn't even have faith in. Many soldiers endured personal hardship, loss of income, and family abandonment. Most enlisted soldiers complied with the draft and served; however, many upper-middle-class youth found ways to avoid combat.