You may have already written this down with neon lights (I can be just that dense sometimes), but I just wanted to clarify something about the time line so I don't mess anything up.

Okay so, Max died around the time the characters were around 10 years old. This occurred 4 years prior to the research facility incident, so the characters were around 14 years old when that happened. The monologue states that this research facility incident happened 10 years ago. Assuming this is the present time, the characters would have to be around 24 years old.

Now, the question I really wanted to ask was: (Around) How old were the characters when the 3 year war started? Was this war a recent occurrence (war just ended) or have some years passed since it ended? Am I blind and not seeing the part where you already wrote down the answers to my question(s)?

How it looks in JJ's head:
Character Born |----[Max dies: ~10 years old]----[Lab accident: ~14 years old]------[*3 year war begins: ~14 < ~? years old]------| Monologue/Present time? (~24 years old)
*Would humanity be desperate enough to draft anyone younger than 18 to fight the (3 year) war?*