During WWII how were American men who couldn't pass the military requirements to enlist treated?

During World War II, how were American

men who couldn't pass the military

requirements to enlist treated? My dad

turned 17 in November 1943. Like most

boys his age back then, he figured the

right thing to do was drop out of high

school and join the army. He went

downtown to enlist, but they turned him

down due to poor eyesight. So, he walked

next door to the Navy recruiter. They

told him they were short on pharmacists

mates and didn't care much about vision

for that role. He took the enlistment

papers home for my grandfather to sign.

Being under 18, he needed permission. He

brought the signed papers back to the

recruiting office. When he got home, his

draft notice was already in the mailbox.

Why the government could draft him at 17

without parental consent, but couldn't

let him enlist without it, none of us

ever figured out. But that's the story

he always told. He enlisted in Indiana,

did boot camp in Chicago, and went to

San Diego for training. I had to pull

guard duty on the beach with a wooden

rifle, he'd say. Every real gun was

already overseas. So there I am in the

dark, guarding the Pacific with a 2x4,

thinking nothing between the Japanese

Navy and the US but me and this stick.

He was posted to a Navy hospital in

Texas and served until 1946. I spent my

whole Navy career without even stepping

into a rowboat. He liked to joke. When

Korea broke out, he was recalled. My mom

dropped him off at the induction center.

They said goodbye, thinking it would be

years, but by the time he reached the

front of the line, they'd met their

quota. They stamped his paperwork and

sent him home. He was trying to call my

mom for a ride before she even made it