The Oldest Boot in USMC History. When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more like a seasoned general than a private. Instead, he was just another recruit, running the same obstacle courses and getting the same punishment as the younger troops. What set Douglas apart wasn’t age or rank, but the fact that he had already been a Chicago alderman, a failed candidate for mayor, and an adviser for the president. By the end of World War II, he would also be a combat-decorated Marine. When the U.S. entered World War II, Douglas saw an opportunity to serve his nation. Hundreds of thousands of men were drafted for the military and many volunteered. Some even lied about their age to enlist in the military before they were old enough. Douglas was at the other end of the spectrum, so he reached out to his friend Frank Knox, former publisher of the Chicago Daily News and Secretary of the Navy, asking to enlist. Knox made sure the Marines accepted him. At age 50, Douglas reported to Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. There was no waiver for his age — he trained alongside recruits young enough to be his grandsons. Drill instructors treated him no differently, and Douglas earned the respect of the younger Marines, who saw him as both an example and a mentor. Douglas later recalled: “I found myself able to take the strenuous boot camp training without asking for a moment's time out and without visiting the sick bay.” After graduation, Douglas was assigned clerical work and promoted to staff sergeant within a few months. Still unsatisfied, he begged for combat duty in the Pacific. With Knox’s help, he received a commission and got his orders for the 1st Marine Division.#usmarines #veteransoftiktok #marinehistory #NeverForgetTheFallen #semperfi - @honoring.past.mar