Here in Germany my older brother was once forced to show his ID at the local super market checkout to purchase (IIRC) a game/movie from the bargain bin (something with a restriction of >=12yo) while:

- being a tall bald dude (19yo at the time)

- wearing his Bundeswehr uniform (as a conscript on his way home for weekend leave)

Apparently that appearance wasn't enough to make it obvious he was a little older than 12.

Anyway, at least I didn't have to go through that conscription BS since I didn't reach 18 until after the "abeyance" in 2011. The equipment/supply problems and ever shortening training/service time for conscripts (last before the abeyance was 6 months total) make it no wonder that the Bundeswehr is sometimes mocked as "Deutschlands größter Trachtenverein" ("Germany's biggest costume club").

Complete with wooden MG'S

Nah, from what he told me the service pistol was an inaccurate POS, a pain to clean (which one would have to do often) and the G36 rifle is made in large parts (e.g. the stock) from polymer/plastic meaning they were forbidden from ever using the weapon body itself as a weapon because otherwise it would splinter and break.

The AK my father and grandfather used in the NVA instead was a real wartime weapon, rugged, dependable and able to be produced in mass quantities relatively cheaply. The G36 instead is apparently expensive, fragile and not that accurate, ie. more of a showpiece.

I am by no means an expert but even I know the story is more nuanced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfPHZFsw40M

A similar thing happened to me when I was in my early twenties but with a US passport. We were out in the country a bit and I joked with my friend at the time that the guy serving us had probably never seen one...

Large bars which draw a lot of tourists use a book like this to guide them through validating out-of-state licenses.

https://www.driverslicenseguide.com/book-us.html