That's when a recruit can join with parental consent, a policy adopted by all services in 1948 although rules varied before then. One served in World War I and a few in the Vietnam War but most are World War II and Korean War veterans or served between conflicts. With Memorial Day approaching, Ray Jackson, who edits the group's newsletter and co-edited the book with his wife Susan, has tried to document the deaths of boys who were underage when killed in action during the nation's 20th Century wars. Three were Marines and one Army. All four were 15 years old.
Military records are of no avail.
Ill. Gibbs was 14 when his mother let him join the Marines just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His mother told the Peoria Journal-Transcript in February 1943 that she did not have the heart to disclose his true age because he was so enthused over enlisting. It does not, however, disclose his given first name or hometown. More is known from family and friends about Army Cpl. Huey P. French, of Childress, Texas, who was killed in the Korean War, and Marine Pfc.