Young Military Blood

Isn't it nice to go back in time and enjoy the benefits of being a child? Imagine yourself with no worries and free from the hustles of maintaining a hectic work schedule not to mention having to pay bills on time. Can you still recall those days that you only have to wake up, get a nice ward breakfast, prepare yourself, and head on to school?

Boy those days were simple and well a thing of the past. Even though you've past your time as a child, you're pretty lucky you had the chance to enjoy it. There are children around the world that are victims of war. They are forced to hold a gun or trade their innocence in order to survive. Hold you breathe as we journey into the lives of the young military blood.

It's sad to note that children are abused by the military in three different ways. The first one is that they are forced to gear up and play child soldiers. Now, it isn't so bad not having that toy you wanted when you were ten, is it now? Next they are utilized as having some sort of supportive task such as relaying messages, delivering goods from camp to camp, acting out as spies and look outs and well, for the young girls out in the open they become slaves sexually.

The third and most gruesome form of abuse is that children are used as for political agendas and human protection by those good for nothing cowards in the military. All over the world these things actually happen. Some of the common places wherein this despicable act is found in Africa, Asia, Northern and Latin America, Europe, and in the Middle East particularly in Palestine and Israel. Well, the act of having children participate in military affairs is not really new.

It is written within the pages of history that most cultures have been doing it even against the bounds of morality. Let's take a closer look. It was a common practice in the Mediterranean for children to act as armor bearers, helpers, and even charioteers for their adult counterparts. During the antiquity period, children were ordered to tag along the journey of a family wherein a member is part of the military. This makes them susceptible to attacks that may be staged along the way.

Squires or military helpers were famous during the time Medieval Period in Europe. These are commonly composed of boys aged twelve and above. There was the Children's Crusade in which children served as untrained soldiers who head on to battle under the notion that they will be protected by divine power. Most of the children in this event in history ended up as slaves. During the Battle of Waterloo, the ‘great' Napoleon ordered children to be placed on the front ranks of the attack. What sort of gun did they carry? No guns.

They served as drummer boys that signalled the attack of the Emperor's troops. They were simply gunned down during the battle. When the wars were taken to the seas, children were also dragged away. Young boys were tasked to bring powder and shot to the ship's artillery crew. They were tagged as powder monkeys. These are only mere examples of what children around the globe experience due to the unending power struggle.

You may mumble how life is so tiring and unfair amidst those high stacks of paper works on your desk but you're really lucky to have had a good childhood memory as opposed to those who are part of the young blood of the military.