War veterans call for rethink on recruitment of 16-year-olds | UK news | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015 ... e-soldiers

I agree. It's been especially clear in recent years how appallingly we treat our troops, and even more sickening when you're legally tying people into the 'job'.

i wonder if that is the reasoning behind lowering the voting age to 16

the reasoning going 'old enough to vote old enough to fight' ...

At work, anyone under 18 is considered a child.
There's a host of reasonably innocuous things we don't allow people under 18 do; why then do they think it's ok to hand them a rifle and ask them to go and kill?

As I was thinking - 'giving people who have incomplete emotional and social development state of the art killing machinery. What can possibly go wrong?'

In Germany up until 2011 there was conscription and ever 17 year old had to do their service - those too unfit or conscientious objectors could to a "civil service" instead, which usually meant ambulance crew or working in an old people's home, for example. Volunteers can still sign up at 17 to optionally to their military service (6 months) or as full time soldiers.