this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
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Technically called the european theatre but more like the european-north african-middleeastern theater.

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 59 points 2 days ago (12 children)

The soldier at the focal point in this picture looks like a child, no older than 15.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (5 children)

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.

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days 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.

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