Forum: Author Hangout

This is a complex one, especially the start.

For the GGF, realize the "Russian Revolution" was over 6 years long (officially), with many placing it more at around a decade. Many factions, and sides changing all the time. White Russians, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, Anarchists, and ultimately the Communists taking over and eliminating most others (including the Bolsheviks - they were not really the winners).

So when that soldier returned home, where, why, who did they support? Did they flee because the almost decade of war and anarchy was more than they wanted, or because the side they favored (and maybe supported) was destroyed?

GGF service is simple, forget engineer and mechanic, make him Infantry, and an Unter-offizier. There were no real "mechanics" or "engineers" in the Russian Army, you were Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery.

Oh, and he would have to decide to bail out very early. The White Army was quickly forced to retreat East, into Siberia. That is why many ended up in the fringes of Japanese occupied regions on China and throughout the Far East. The White Army was pretty much out of Europe by the end of 1918. Otherwise they would have not been able to easily emigrate to the US, being stuck in a place like Shanghai as a "stateless person". Their old country no longer existing, they new one not recognizing them. Instead, consider having them as coming from a border region, like say the Ukraine, and after some time in a German POW camp deciding upon release to remain in Germany or Poland, then emigrating.

Service for such in a WWII Army, not likely. Unless he had gained some particularly valuable skills, like medical or logistics. Say if he had run a freight company. Most of those recalled for WWII were really specialists and experts in something the war effort really needed.

For the GF, that all depends on what he did. In the Army, that would have seen him thrown into Normandy in 1944, then fighting his way across Europe. Unless he was sent to the Pacific, where he would have been in battles like Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

The father, would be reaching draft age at around 1966. Now contrary to popular belief, not many draftees served in Vietnam. If you were drafted, you served for 2 years. And were normally kept in the US, or sent to Europe as part of the still ongoing occupation duty. Trained as say a mechanic, and working on tanks for a year in Germany before going home.

But "draft dodger"? Largely a joke. Just deciding to go to college in that era made you exempt from being drafted until you graduated. So graduates school in 1965, stays in college until 1970, by then simply be married and have a kid. That classified you to where being drafted was almost impossible as there were plenty of single younger men they could grab.

You need to decide a bit more how you want to approach this, then I could give some better ideas of how to pull it off. But realize, many of the terms you are trying to use at turn of the century times are not quite what you think.

"Engineers" at that time were working on things like canals and planning rail lines. That made them useful in laying out things like trench lines, drainage, and laying roads and rails for logistics. They are not "engineers" as most would think of them today. And mechanized equipment was so new, "mechanics" were nothing like what is seen either. A train engineer drafted, then spent their time running trains during the war.

By WWII, especially in the US Army, there it largely depends on the theater. Most went to Europe, some went to the Pacific. If Infantry, just watch "Band of Brothers", and forget the air drops.

For the father, absolutely no idea. He would not fit the "draft dodging hippie" segment, that was more 1968 and after, when the antagonism against "The War" was reaching it's peak. And even then, the issue was not that they were thought of as "cowards", but simply "not patriotic". That was a counter-culture thing, refusal to follow authority more than anything else.

For the MC, once again, almost impossible to tell as there are so many questions open. But by the time he is "aware" of the real world, it would be 1978 or so, the era of Disco. Carter was President, all "Draft Dodgers" were given an amnesty, and the Vietnam War was all over. The father would more likely see issues with classmates that did go and fight than from his father and grandfather.

The Imperial Russian Army did have Warrant Officers, most commonly in the various sub-branches of Artillery, the Fortress Engineers, Combat Engineers, Communications (wire {phone and/or telegraph} and wireless (radio; mostly CW Continuous Wave: using Morse Code or other codes) even heliographs); Vehicle and/or Generator Maintenance, Medical, Railroads (both the track laying and maintenance, as well as the Engines); even a fledgling Imperial Russian Air Corps.

As for serving in the US Army in WWII, the US Govt. started expanding the armed forces in 1939, a bit Before Germany invaded Poland. The start of WWII in Europe accelerated the expansion. (China had been conducting various military campaigns in China all during the 1930's; US Army, Navy and Marines were stationed in China during this time.) The US reinstated the Draft in 1940. Most of the National Guard of the several states were also mobilized for 1 year (at various starting dates) thru 1940.

Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was not much enthusiasm for enlisting. Pay in the US Army was Lower in 1939 than it was in 1928! SO, if the GGF had a motivation (say the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of Aug 1939 to cause him to believe a Soviet-Nazi alliance would be a threat, he might volunteer.) So, if the GGF volunteers in late 39/early 40 at age 44-46, with relevant skills, he would probably be accepted.

{It would be Easy to obtain fake ID showing him to be under age 34, and it would be even more likely to enlist.}

Another possibility for the Father is he is declared "4F" due to "Flat Feet", bad teeth, that neither the GGF nor GF believe should have prevented his enlistment.

Another possibility is the Father had a (good paying) job in a "critical industry" such as aircraft manufacture, or RADAR components, or Optics for Naval or Tank Guns, and was Not Allowed to enlist. Prior to 1940, the Optical Sights for USA Tanks and some Artillery (and Artillery Plotting) were manufactured in Germany! The USA had to scramble to produce Quality Optics domestically! {I had a Great, Great Uncle who got a job grinding lenses used as auxiliary gunsights by the USN in 1938, in San Diego; he was exempted from the draft, or rather had a specific Draft Category that meant he would never be called up.)