It’s not a fun movie, but IMO Nicolas Cage’s best acting performance is in Bringing out the Dead.
Something I’m going to mention, but not as a favorite Nicholas Cage movie, is the work 8MM.
It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” the film, because the subject matter is so dark and problematic. I do find it was a rather well done piece of cinema, and felt like Cage brought a lot of energy to the role. And it certainly worked as a film, inciting rage against the subject and society that allowed such things to happen. But (again, probably because of the subject) I only know 2-3 other people who have seen it, or at least remember seeing it. Still, given the current age we live in with limited accountability for the rich and powerful… it might be time to watch it again…
After Pearl Harbor, a lot of under-aged boys lied about their age to get into the service. It would not surprise me if a lot of over-aged men did the same. They would ask for your birth certificate, but they were not as strict as they are today.
Also, before World War Two, promotion in the peacetime services was almost entirely by seniority. You were stuck at a rank until someone above you died, retired, resigned, or got expelled. It was not uncommon to see surprisingly old men in surprisingly low ranks.
Also, there is the problem that all of this takes place in an alternate universe. We have no idea what the rules were when it came to recruiting, drafting or even aging.