17-year-old sailor grew up fast
By Chuck Kajer, Managing Editor
During World War II, the United States Armed Forces needed good men, and they needed them as soon as possible.
Today's military is an all-volunteer force, but in World War II, young men were subject to the draft, which meant that once you turned 18, you had to report for duty whenever and wherever your local draft board decided, it didn't matter if you were still in school.
I was getting close to my 18th birthday