Today in 1942 FDR lowered the minimum draft age

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Hitler also raised the max age, too. I you can stand up and hold a rifle you were "good-to-go".

In Russia women were also "good-to-go". One of the most feared snipers in WWII was a Russian woman.
 
When I was eight years old, I remember standing beside US 66 in east Albuquerque(Central Ave.) while army convoys from a base near by passed by on their way to the train station.Some of the GIs on the trucks would throw candy and gum to us. A lot of those boys didn't come back .I wish I had been mature enough to comprehend the enormity of the passing parade. They gave all of their tomorrows so we can have today. Bless them all.
 
The number of years that the U.S. has had an active draft is a lot less than most people would think. The union had a draft during the civil war, but you could pay a penalty and opt out.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Hitler also raised the max age, too. I you can stand up and hold a rifle you were "good-to-go".

In Russia women were also "good-to-go". One of the most feared snipers in WWII was a Russian woman.


Hitler sent aged, near crippled WWI vets in the "Volkssturm" to battle sometimes nearly unarmed. I recall reading one German commander risked execution by dismissing his unarmed unit and sending them home just prior to the end since they had almost no small arms and no heavier antitank weapons...
 
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Originally Posted By: Burt
The number of years that the U.S. has had an active draft is a lot less than most people would think. The union had a draft during the civil war, but you could pay a penalty and opt out.


Up until 1973. I served with the last of the draftees as some became lifers and were near retirement by the early 1990's...
 
Back before WW2 most people didn't have birth certificates and draft officers were paid by the number of bullet sponges they signed up. So as a result you got a number of 15-17 year old's in the trench's or lines. Younger soldiers are better because they tend not to question orders as much. A 30 year old may look at a pill box and have second thoughts about assaulting it, a 15 year old won't.

Kids not serving in combat is actually a fairly recent western thing.

I still think its [censored] that the draft age is 18 and the drinking is 21. If your old enough to fight and die for your country your old enough to drink.
 
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Originally Posted By: Burt
The number of years that the U.S. has had an active draft is a lot less than most people would think. The union had a draft during the civil war, but you could pay a penalty and opt out.


Not until 1863, And to not get drafted, you had to pay for a $300 commutation fee. Which was beyond most people. Or pay for a subsitute.

In 1864, the rules changed it to a one year exemption. After which you either served or paid for a subsistute. Which could cost even more money.

The commutation fee was an effort to not only limit the costs of a subsitute, but a way to have the unwilling to help pay for the war.

Not only were both methods detested, but it led to the slogan "rich man's war, poor man's fight."
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
FDR was a hard core socialist.


Thanks, insane guy!
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I still think its [censored] that the draft age is 18 and the drinking is 21. If your old enough to fight and die for your country your old enough to drink.


18 is also old enough to vote.

I turned 18 when the drinking age was still 18. It was raised to 19 the following year 4 days before my 19th birthday. It was raised to 21 some time after I'd turned 21, I don't remember the year now since it didn't affect me.

I was amazed the 18 to 20 year old crowd didn't become politically active as the drinking age was raised from 18 to 19, then from 19 to 21, in order to reverse this.

It was pitched to cut down on alcohol availability to high schoolers, and has never been overturned, and I don't ever remember seeing any efforts to overturn it.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Back before WW2 most people didn't have birth certificates and draft officers were paid by the number of bullet sponges they signed up. So as a result you got a number of 15-17 year old's in the trench's or lines. Younger soldiers are better because they tend not to question orders as much. A 30 year old may look at a pill box and have second thoughts about assaulting it, a 15 year old won't.

Kids not serving in combat is actually a fairly recent western thing.

I still think its [censored] that the draft age is 18 and the drinking is 21. If your old enough to fight and die for your country your old enough to drink.


I'm friends with a fellow who fought in World War Two who was 15 when he signed up for the Navy. During the war, he ran away from home to the big city of Chicago. He went to a recruiting station and tried to enlist. He says the recruiting officer took one look at him and told him to go home to his mother. He walked around town for a while until he found what he calls "a well worn prostitute." He paid the woman ten dollars to pretend she was his mother. Together, they went back to the recruiting station where she swore she was his mother and that he was 18 years old and wanted to serve his country. Next thing he knew, he was in the Navy.
 
Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
I'm friends with a fellow who fought in World War Two who was 15 when he signed up for the Navy. During the war, he ran away from home to the big city of Chicago. He went to a recruiting station and tried to enlist. He says the recruiting officer took one look at him and told him to go home to his mother. He walked around town for a while until he found what he calls "a well worn prostitute." He paid the woman ten dollars to pretend she was his mother. Together, they went back to the recruiting station where she swore she was his mother and that he was 18 years old and wanted to serve his country. Next thing he knew, he was in the Navy.


Ha, ha, you always always have a good story. Tell the guy "Thanks" and that we're glad he made it through the war.
 
Originally Posted By: Nyogtha
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I still think its [censored] that the draft age is 18 and the drinking is 21. If your old enough to fight and die for your country your old enough to drink.


18 is also old enough to vote.

I turned 18 when the drinking age was still 18. It was raised to 19 the following year 4 days before my 19th birthday. It was raised to 21 some time after I'd turned 21, I don't remember the year now since it didn't affect me.

I was amazed the 18 to 20 year old crowd didn't become politically active as the drinking age was raised from 18 to 19, then from 19 to 21, in order to reverse this.

It was pitched to cut down on alcohol availability to high schoolers, and has never been overturned, and I don't ever remember seeing any efforts to overturn it.
It wasn't always that way. IIRC it wasn't until the 1970's when the voting age was changed.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Back before WW2 most people didn't have birth certificates and draft officers were paid by the number of bullet sponges they signed up. So as a result you got a number of 15-17 year old's in the trench's or lines. Younger soldiers are better because they tend not to question orders as much. A 30 year old may look at a pill box and have second thoughts about assaulting it, a 15 year old won't.

Kids not serving in combat is actually a fairly recent western thing.

I still think its [censored] that the draft age is 18 and the drinking is 21. If your old enough to fight and die for your country your old enough to drink.


IMO what's equally disturbing is that a research paper came out stating adolescent brains didn't fully develop until approx 21 yrs of age. The suggestion was that because adolescents have biologically driven poor decision making ability the drinking and driving ages should be switched. I'm sure the Pentagon didn't want to hear that.
 
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