MacArthur was allowed to employ some older guys, but very few went to Europe. A Major General whose name escapes me was told just before his division left that he was not going with it. He appealed to Marshall saying “I missed WW1 because I was teaching at West Point. Don’t make me miss this one too.”
Marshall’s reply was a stark “No.”
So the officer said: “My wartime rank is Major General, but my permanent rank is Colonel. Can I serve in Europe as a Colonel?” Marshall agreed to that, and the Major General took off his stars, pinned his eagle back on, and went to war.
It’s interesting, how some men would do all they could to not be in a fight, yet…some men would go to any length to be in a fight.
And yet it seems that most men just end up in the fight by the whims of fate..,as if they are put there or pulled away by the current of a river.
That right there is a leader worth following.