Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2012 October 28

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October 28

Did some of the world war 2, Korean War and Vietnam soldiers lie about their age and are any of soldiers who lied are alive today?

I'm wondering if some the ww2 , Korean war soldiers and Vietnam soldiers lied about their age and they were 17 or 16 they lied and they lied said they were 18. I could be wrong about this but back then they didn't have photo ID like today so it was easy to lie about their age. A birth certificate was probably needed, but if the person could pass for the required age, they could get in. I think also the country was eager to get any volunteers they could to protect and fight for their country. They did this in ww1 but what about ww2, Korean War and the Vietnam war and are any those soldiers who lied are alive today? 00:08, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

The Veterans of Underage Military Service says it has 29 active members who served in the US military or merchant marine at age 13, plus others older. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:47, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

This February 2012 article gives Walter Holy's account of his enlistment at the age of 15 and service with the paratroopers. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:00, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

You'll need a pretty blind recruiting sergeant to let a 13 years old pass as 18. OsmanRF34 (talk) 01:18, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Well, yes, but then even today minimum enlistment age in the US is 17 (with parental consent), not 18. And boy seamen were allowed into the Royal Navy at age 14, though I don't know the equivalent in the US. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 01:31, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

There are some pretty big 13 year olds.[1] Clarityfiend (talk) 05:09, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

And some young-looking 18 year-olds. Alansplodge (talk) 09:02, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

• My father lied about his age to join the army at 15, was in the Korean war, and is alive today. That sort of thing was pretty common.Looie496 (talk) 15:38, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Maybe he's lying today to you and he's not a vet of the Korean war OsmanRF34 (talk) 18:00, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I wonder about how long ago the OP thinks the Vietnam War was! The youngest American veterans (18 in early 1975) are only 55 years old now. I doubt there are many reliable sources about the youngest Vietnamese veterans. Roger (talk) 18:18, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

The Korean War is not the Vietnam War. --140.180.252.244 (talk) 19:57, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

See Dan Bullock "...the youngest American serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War." He joined the Marine Corps at 14 and was killed at An Hoa Combat Base aged 15. Alansplodge (talk) 19:34, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

See also My Father's Story by Crissandra L. Turner, which says of Edward Turner Jr. "In 1953 he sneaked off and joined the army Airborne using a cousin’s name at the age of 14, making him the youngest Korean War Veteran from the State of Missouri." Alansplodge (talk) 20:12, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

The movie Too Young the Hero is the true story of Calvin Graham, a 12-year-old who joined the Navy during World War II. 69.62.243.48 (talk) 00:26, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

My grandfather lied to get into WW2 at 17, but that was near the end of the war. My partner's grandfather joined at 16 for WW2 and for years never collected his military pension because he was afraid they'd find out & strip him of his rank. His family finally talked him into it, and the government didn't care one whit that he'd entered too young. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 22:32, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

how much cropland is lost to circle farming?

duplicate question, new answers should go at thescience desk
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
how much cropland is lost to circle farming? Naively, we might assume that 2r*2r is the square equivalent versus pi * rsquared is the circle equivalent. But that would mean 4 rsquared versus 3.141 r squared - i.e. "almost a third" more area is actually available (1.27x more) if they farmed squares instad of farming circles. Is this right though? Because you don't need clearance of a full square around the circle, you can pack the next circle in slightly more closely. I'm asking about this. http://www.google.com/search?q=circle+farming&tbm=isch how much cropland is lost to circle famring instad of square farming? --89.132.116.35 (talk) 13:54, 28 October 2012 (UTC) answers moved to science desk

Are there any black people in Greenland living there?

Are there any black people in Greenland living there? Neptunekh94 (talk) 19:03, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

I would assume that there are black people stationed at Thule Air Base. Although that may not be what you are talking about (as the service men living at the base there are not permanent residents). Blueboar (talk) 20:54, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

88% of Greenland's population is Inuit, and the Inuit are kind of black. Do they count? --140.180.252.244 (talk) 22:47, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

They're only black in the very vague and unhelpful sense of 'not European'. They're not (generally) part of the African Diaspora, although like Clarityfiend, I did immediately think of Matthew Henson's descendants, who are an exception to this. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:55, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

There are descendents of Matthew Henson, who are also Inuit.[2] Clarityfiend(talk) 22:52, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Tete-Michel Kpomassie, 1981, An African in Greenland. — kwami (talk) 23:06, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

US capital gains tax

I'm curious about the definition of "capital gains tax" in the U.S. How does the IRS treat the income made by partners in a professional partnership like a law firm? Does it treat it like dividend income (and hence subject to a lower rate) or is it considered ordinary income like a salary? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by94.99.100.234 (talk) 20:10, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

In a partnership, income generally retains its character, and the distribution to partners (or failure to do so) is a non-event for tax purposes. This has led to controversy in the case of carried interest, when distributions to a hedge fund manager are treated as capital gains, even though the manager is receiving the distributions because of its provision of professional services to the partnership. John M Baker (talk) 21:02, 28 October 2012 (UTC)