He's a corporal, so he's been in the Army a few years. He's probably 22 years old, unless he was an Eagle Scout before joining, then he might be 19, since Eagle Scouts get an automatic PFC rank after basic. So he's somewhere between 19-22, he just has a baby face. The average age of US soldiers in WWII was 26 years old, but skewed younger as the war dragged on. These men would have been between 17 years old (with parental consent) and their late 20's.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

I'd say I'm relieved but not really. Thank you for the information nonetheless. That is definitely a baby face if I ever seen one but the man has a soldier's record.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I like that you're bringing facts into this, but that still seems fuckin young. Maybe I'm just getting old though

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I felt like I had it all figured out when I was 19 in the Army. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized I didn't know shit. These men are young, kids really, but it doesn't feel appropriate to call them boys considering everything they've done to get into this picture, and everything they did after it was taken. They had the weight of the world thrust upon them, and they shouldered it like men.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

How does the corporal stand to the others in the picture?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Here you go. They're listed in ascending order, left to right, top to bottom. The only exception is Specialist and Corporal. Those are both E4 rank. The difference depends on if the job is combat arms, or not. Corporal is combat arms, specialist is not. The guy with the armband that has a visible M on it is Military Police. They have ranks, but they're considered outside of the hierarchy while on duty, which is essential for them to be able to effectively do their jobs. That's why his armband covers his rank.