Fan Casting Child Soldiers in Sort by Tropes

They depend on us to defend them, but either we're forcing them to defend us or they're all alone and forced to defend themselves in the face of imminent danger. Sometimes they have a talent to help them get through the war, which unfortunately may be the reason they were drafted to begin with, but often it's just tough luck. Since the use of child soldiers forces the enemy to gun down children in self-defense, it's a very strong contender for the most morally reprehensible war crime in existence. There's also many stories concerning children who lied about their ages in order to serve their country in its hour of need, but those are only slightly under age, much more mature psychologically.