Great stories!
I agree that there's quite a difference between early and late boomers.
I'm at the tail end as well. My Dad was 14 when he joined the army (after years of starvation resulting from Stalin's purges), 16 when he was hit by shrapnel from an exploding grenade, 17 when he got out of the hospital and had to start working to help support his widowed mother and younger siblings. He suffered some skeletal issues from malnutrition, but was one of the strongest, gentlest men I know.
My mother was 13 when she was housed in a "work camp" and beaten to the point of needing several weeks of hospitalization.
War sucks.
I think I'm very lucky in that I had a wholesome upbringing, but with a very real awareness of how bad it all could be. I don't think my kids and their cohorts have a clue.