26 Reginald Francis Cheese’s Name Change
When Reginald Francis Cheese enlisted in the British Army during World War I, he used the surname “Cleese” because he found his real surname embarrassing. In 1923, he officially changed his surname to Cleese, and he became the father of the famous comedian John Cleese.
27. In 1861, Sarah Seelye, at age 17, enlisted in the Civil War disguised as a man to escape an unwanted marriage. Ironically, her duties involved penetrating Confederate lines while “disguised” as a woman. In 1863, after contracting malaria, she deserted the Army and resumed life as a female.
28. During the Civil War, 250 Union soldiers surrendered to the Confederates, enlisted in the Confederate Army while held as POWs, were recaptured by the Union Army, and then re-enlisted as Union soldiers. They were called Galvanized Yankees.
29. During World War I, Mom?ilo Gavri?, at age 8, lost his entire family to a war crime. He then enlisted in a nearby artillery unit, identified the location of the enemy soldiers who had killed his family, and participated in the bombardment that wiped out the entire enemy unit.
30. During World War II, thousands of second-generation Japanese-Americans enlisted in the Army and attended the Military Intelligence Service Language School to study Japanese. They learned specific military terms and trained to become interpreters, interrogators, and intelligence officers.
31 Civil War Drummer Boy’s Heroism
During the American Civil War, 14-year-old William Horsfall enlisted in the Union Army as a drummer boy. During a battle, he ran into the battlefield amidst gunfire to save his wounded captain. He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
32. During World War I, California’s schoolchildren were enlisted in a campaign against squirrels, resulting in over 100,000 ground squirrel casualties.
33. Harry Truman attempted to enlist in the Army before becoming president, but an eye chart test revealed he had 20/400 vision in his left eye, exceeding the legal blindness standard. After memorizing the eye chart, he took the test a second time and successfully enlisted.
34. The U.S. Marshals still possess the common law-based power to enlist any willing civilians as deputies, a practice also known in the Old West as forming a posse.
35. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attempted to enlist when World War I broke out at the age of 55, stating, “I am 55, but I am very strong and hardy, and I can make my voice audible at great distances.”
36 Hitler’s Nephew’s Enlistment
When Hitler’s nephew enlisted in the US Navy, the recruiting officer supposedly remarked, “Glad to see you, Hitler. My name’s Hess.”
37. The U.S. military uses a ‘context-based’ learning technique from the Mormon Church to teach new languages to recruits in as little as five weeks, even enlisting former missionaries for the Army’s Intelligence Brigade.
38. During World War I, the UK had a program where men from the same town could enlist together and fight side by side.
39. The Japanese Military uses the anime “Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri” (“Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There”)-which depicts the Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighting monsters in another universe-to encourage people to enlist in the military.
40. During the Vietnam War, enlisted troops protested against the war through underground newspapers, which included bounties on officers, illegal political articles, cartoons, and information about illicit drugs.
41 Jack Kerouac’s Drunken Enlistment
Popular American novelist Jack Kerouac once got so drunk that he enlisted in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard all on the same day.
42. The recruiting guidelines of the US Army, Air Force, and Marines expressly forbid enlisting in the military to avoid jail time, but not the Navy.
43. Curtis King, the oldest known soldier to serve during the American Civil War, enlisted in the Union Army at 80 years old and served his country honorably.
44. In World War I, the British Army had special units called Bantams for men under 5’3″ who would otherwise be too short to enlist.
45. During World War II, the U.S. government exposed 60,000 enlisted men to mustard gas to test for racial differences in chemical sensitivity.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Mathew Charles Lamb’s Troubled Enlistment
Following his release from the hospital on his psychiatrist’s advice, Mathew Charles Lamb, a Canadian spree killer found not guilty by reason of insanity, enlisted in the Rhodesian Army and later died in combat.
47. Sidney Lewis, the youngest person to serve in the British Army, lied about his age and enlisted at 12 years old in 1915. He fought for several weeks in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme before his mother discovered his enlistment and requested his discharge.
48. Popular 18th-century English writer Thomas Paine, at the age of 17, attempted to enlist on a privateer ship named The Terrible, whose captain was known as Captain Death. However, his parents intervened and brought him back home. Later, 175 out of 200 crew members died in action during the ship’s service.
49. The French Foreign Legion allows enlistees to join under a fake identity, giving them the opportunity to start their lives over.
50. Operation Unthinkable, Winston Churchill’s plan to invade his Russian allies immediately after winning World War II, proposed enlisting the help of the USA and the defeated German army.
RE: Fact #30 (Japanese-American WWII Intelligence Service) – During World War Two German born Jews were also enlisted in a special unit because their knowledge of German slang and expressions made them invaluable in the guarding and interrogation of nazi prisoners