My Dad’s Dad (the man was the scum of the earth I will never call him my grandfather) was only 15 when he went into the Air Force.
Only thing I can say I am proud of him is for the fact he was one the few American pilots who fought in England before we officially joined the war after Pearl Harbor. Only some of the best was sent to fight.
Can confirm, my grandfather had to kill a child that looked barely 17 (because he was about to kill him too) and had a hard time watching his sons grow up after that. Children make for abundant, docile cannon meat.
Things are getting pretty desperate when you are using kids like this. Physically, you are at your peak around 18, judging from the Army's APFT standards, so it behooves a nation to not send in soldiers that are as young as this kid looks.
The sad part is that this is one of the lucky ones: being captured by the US would mean being sent to America to a POW camp where you would be clothed, fed, protected, and generally taken care of until the end of the war. (Though I wonder what kind of reception he got when he finally went home.)
Only thing I can say I am proud of him is for the fact he was one the few American pilots who fought in England before we officially joined the war after Pearl Harbor. Only some of the best was sent to fight.
The sad part is that this is one of the lucky ones: being captured by the US would mean being sent to America to a POW camp where you would be clothed, fed, protected, and generally taken care of until the end of the war. (Though I wonder what kind of reception he got when he finally went home.)