[gsxrken]

Well there are very fit 50 year olds that could probably hold their own in most combat operations. But some of the long distance rucks with the armor, ammo, weapons, water, and communications just to get to the battle itself would probably bury them. A very fit 20 something can push much harder, for longer, and recover much faster.
I imagine mission planning takes these realities into account, to the extent they can.
This war needs to end for the sake of not just the undrafted generations of sons, but all of them, and on both sides. Enough already.