At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa
Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).
Military.com | By Allen Frazier
Published October 03, 2025 at 8:48am ET
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.
Early Life and Political Career
Douglas was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1892. His mother died young, and his father was abusive, prompting his stepmother to move the children to Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College before earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University in 1921.
His academic career took him across the country, including a post at the University of Chicago, where he worked on banking reform proposals known as the “Chicago Plan” and co-authored A Program for Monetary Reform.
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