Drafted

Between 1964 and 1973, 2.2 million American men were drafted by the U.S, military. This is the story of just one of those soldiers.

In Drafted, a graphic novel memoir, we follow Rick Parker, a shy, inexperienced, and overly

protected teenager from Savannah, Georgia, who gets drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. While the expectation of deployment looms large and is the motivation for arduous physical training and grim tasks of endurance Parker can't help but notice other elements of his new life are surreal, even ludicrous. No matter, he approaches every challenge with sincerity. The truth is, Parker hopes not only to survive the war, but to come out of this involuntary adventure with a few good friends. To this end, he employs a weapon not usually found in the military's arsenal - his ability to draw.

As Parker fulfills his military obligation, he tries to understand why the United States is at war, but it's all a bit confounding. He resolves to simply serve his time and return to civilian life to pursue his dreams - being in the military confirmed for Parker that he was not cut out to be a soldier, but an artist.

The last time the draft was instituted was during the war in Vietnam, and in this memoir we see firsthand how the experience of being "called up" during wartime affected those who served, even if they were not sent to the frontlines.

In Drafted, Rick Parker shares his personal yet universal story, revealing for the first time his compelling and life-changing experience — one that still resonates with us fifty years later.