LAGRANGE – Retired United States Marine Corps (USMC) Captain Doug Chamberlain was one of the very first people I met upon moving to Torrington as a young teen. He was a kind man I understood very little about. Flash forward another 30 years and I have learned so much about the talented, brave, well-spoken man throughout the various events I have listened to him share his knowledge with those in attendance. 

Captain Chamberlain has lived a life most could never imagine, from growing up as the grandson of homesteaders in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska, to becoming a teacher and coach, to being drafted in the Viet Nam War, where he was forced to take over command of a company of Marines, to becoming involved in local politics as an 18-year member of the Wyoming State Legislature and onetime speaker of the house, to writing a book, Bury Him: A Memoir of the Viet Nam War, Captain Chamberlain has kept himself busy throughout his 80-some years of life.

“It’s harder to hit a moving target,” Captain Chamberlain said. 

War was the last thing on the captain’s mind when he returned to Wyoming and settled into his teaching and coaching profession.

“I graduated in 1964 and this was just the ramp-up of the Viet Nam War. Having grown up out here (near La Grange) in a fairly isolated community, being in the military was one of the last things I ever thought of,” Captain Chamberlain explained in an earlier interview. “At the first year of teaching and coaching, I received my draft notice.”

“The draft during the early years of the Viet Nam War was considerably different than what it became later in the 10-year conflict. There was no lottery when I was drafted. However, there were exemptions from being drafted,” Captain Chamberlain explained. “Being enrolled in an educational institution and not failing academically was one general exemption; having a physically debilitating injury or disability, whether physical or mental, was another.”

According to Chamberlain, men younger than 18 years old could not be considered for the draft. Married men or men that were able to marry before induction were exempt from the draft as well.

“Those were the general exemptions as I remember them at that time. ‘Where the rubber met the road’, every county had a county draft board consisting of ‘qualified’ individuals who lived in each county that had been appointed by a process followed by the federal Selective Service Agency,” the captain explained.
Local boards were established for each county or similar subdivision in each state, military archives explain, and those boards were charged with registration, determination or order and serial number, classification, call and entrainment of draftees.
“As I recall, the Goshen County Draft Board consisted of three men who arbitrarily picked and chose individuals who did not qualify for any of the exemptions. Then, as now, women were automatically exempted from the military draft, so single men 18 years old and older were given prime consideration to be drafted,” Chamberlain explained. “Because of the arbitrary nature of the decision-making process by local draft boards, a concerted effort was eventually undertaken nationwide to make the draft selections more random which led to the creation of the Selective Service Draft Lottery.”
Chamberlain began his teaching career in a small rural Wyoming town with the anticipation of taking the basketball team through a successful year when he was notified, he had been selected for the draft.
“I was in my first year of teaching and coaching at what was the public school located in Veteran, Wyoming when I received my notice that I was being ‘drafted’.  I have always joked about the fact that I hadn’t even coached my team to a ‘winning season,’ Chamberlain said. “Quite frankly, I had never considered being in the military, but I was glad to serve my country. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps with the agreement that I could enter Officer Candidate School and that filled one of the numerical quotas that the Goshen County Draft Board had to meet,” Chamberlain expressed. “However, I had no idea how being in the military and serving 13 months in the Viet Nam War would change my life forever.”
Chamberlain was active in the Future Farmers of America while in was in high school and in his book, he attributes the lessons learned in FFA to his military success.
“I was awarded an American Farmer Degree because of the efforts of these kinds of great people that played such an important part in shaping my life during my childhood and adolescent year's,” Chamberlain explained. “Little did I realize at the time that the lessons they taught us would play a key role in the discipline required in my future military experience… My work ethic instilled in me from my agricultural background and my competition in athletics up to that point in my life was a considerable advantage. It led to more opportunities for me in the months ahead.”
After returning from Viet Nam, Chamberlain continued to work on his family ranch in LaGrange and he continued teaching school and coaching basketball. He gained valuable experience in public education as both a teacher and an administrator but like so many Veterans, the medical treatment post-war Chamberlain received was subpar.
“My experience with the Veterans Administration (VA) was almost non-existent for the first 45 years after my discharge from the USMC. When I separated from active duty at Camp Smith, Hawaii, I was told to go to the VA in Cheyenne for my exit physical. The exit physical took approximately 10 minutes at the most, and when it was completed, the VA person in charge said, ‘Don't ever come back’. I then paid for all of my own health care for the aforementioned 45 years,” Chamberlain explained.
At the suggestion of friends, Chamberlain changed hospitals to receive better care but ultimately, he, like most American Military Veterans remained underserved.
“It was only by the insistence of some friends who were also Veterans that I should pursue VA assistance that I finally approached the Veterans Administration Hospital in Hot Springs, South Dakota. The staff there were much more accommodating than I expected, and I was approved for minor care, but it became obvious to me that I should continue medical treatment at my own expense, which I did,” Chamberlain expressed. “After 45 prostate cancer treatments, a hip replacement and cataract surgery on both eyes, I did receive some reimbursements for the costs of my cancer treatments because of my exposure to Agent Orange. The changes in the Veterans Administration that have occurred beginning with the first Trump Administration and continued with the Biden Administration have brought about noticeable improvements.”
As the years roll by, parts of the Nation’s history slowly seem to be forgotten or replaced but Chamberlain saves his words of wisdom for the younger generation.
“Being a Veteran is a privilege of the highest calling, even though you may have to give your life for your country,” Chamberlain said. “Study every chance you get to have an in-depth knowledge of American History and our system of government. Do not accept anything at face value without first doing your own investigation of the facts,” Chamberlain added. “Learn all the reasons there are to love our country and be ready to serve it in any capacity when you are needed. Always exercise your right to vote, and search for information to make sure you are making informed choices.”
“Honor your parents and those who are in legitimate authority,” Chamberlain concluded. “Never quit or give up.”