Child Soldiers: Difference between revisions

This trope blends imperceptibly with [[New Meat]]. Since even legal adults can be teenagers, old soldiers in particular may regard them as no more than children. This trope is [[Truth in Television]]; many armies in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have underaged troops. Furthermore, even Western countries such as Germany, Russia, and the United States have overlooked recruitment ages in major conflicts such as [[World War II]]. This was likely to happen before the late 20th century, because births were not as well documented and the recruiters took them at their word if they looked about the right age. Though it's frowned on by Western culture, there is a certain brutal logic to conscripting youth - everyone is under threat, so everyone fights. Sometimes the children are better off on the front lines than enduring [[War Is Hell|what would happen to them if the enemy takes their village]]. As a more pragmatic and ethical solution, many countries that feature soldiers in the 16-19 age range often utilize them in noncombat or support roles, and/or continue to train them until they're older, resulting in far better psychological health, effectiveness of personnel, and morale overall.

 

 

Compare [[Little Miss Badass]], [[Creepy Child]], [[Cute Bruiser]], [[Enfante Terrible]], [[Kid Samurai]], [[New Meat]], [[Young Gun]], [[Recruit Teenagers with Attitude]]. [[Plucky Middie]]. The [[Shell Shocked Senior]] may actually be a high-school senior.