Among the entirety of Soviet youth entering the armed forces, a large percentage consists of boys of unremarkable strength, intellect, or pedigree.
Opportunities do abound, and based on a child's scholastic achievement and parentage, he or she may end up serving either behind a desk or behind a machine gun for the glory of Russia and all her sister republics. And, much like the onset of age, this rite is not optional.
In the Soviet Union, military service is understood to be a rite of passage, for boys and girls alike, into a patriotic adulthood.
