"The Children´s Crusade"

Over the years, children have been affected by wars all over the world. Some have been part of the wars as soldiers, and others as prisoners; “You were just babies in the war-like the ones up stairs.” (Vonnegut 14) Said Mary O’Hare, wife of Bernard B O’Hare. Even though the word babies doesn´t really apply, I got her point. She was frustrated, heart broken by the fact that her own babies in a few years had to waste they 20´s to fight a war that wasn´t even theirs.  This reminded me of the recruitment of soldiers the United Sates does. Most young adults, after graduation from school have to leave everything behind, to go millions of miles away from home, daily risking their lives for a war that many think unnecessary. It also reminded me of the book, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” that is a perfect example of how war affects the lives of many children. In this case the boys are much younger and one is a prisoner a war, a Jewish in a concentration camp, and the other is the son of a Nazi soldiers, who runs concentration camps. The book is ironic because the children that come from very different backgrounds end up being best friends, and the Nazi soldier ends up killing his own son: “what comes around, goes around.” Unfortunately this lesson should have taught the Nazi soldier something, but no, since that day he still continued segregating Jewish and even though his “hate” towards them ended up killing his own son he didn´t stop.  Why should children pay for the mistakes of their parents? Why should young adults be deprived of a young man´s life and education, to got fight a war that isn’t theirs and they might no even believe in it.