The question of Gregory joining the army is less of "why did he volunteer" but more "did he have a job that would allow him to avoid getting drafted (бронь)". A

The question of Gregory joining the army is less of "why did he volunteer" but more "did he have a job that would allow him to avoid getting drafted (бронь)". At some point in the war, around 1942, the army drafted anyone who could hold a rifle