Here is the next fact.
2. The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded in combat and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. (His benefits were later restored by act of Congress)
Calvin Leon Graham (April 3, 1930 - November 6, 1992) was youngest person ever to enlist in the
United States Navy, and the youngest
U.S. serviceman during
World War II. He enlisted in the Navy at age 12 following the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
He was wounded at the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, while serving aboard the
USS South Dakota. During the battle, he helped in the fire control efforts aboard the South Dakota, but suffered
shrapnel wounds in the process. For his actions he was awarded the
Bronze Star and the
Purple Heart. However, his mother later revealed his age, and after spending months in a brig (he was not released until after his sister threatened to contact the newspapers), he was
dishonorably discharged for lying about his age and lost his disability benefits.
Graham later joined the
United States Marines at age 17, but his service ended about three years later when he fell from a pier and broke his back.
[1] Although serving in the Marines qualified him as a
veteran, he would spend the rest of his life fighting for medical benefits and a clean record. In 1978, he was finally awarded an
honorable discharge, and after writing to
Congress and with the approval of President
Jimmy Carter, all medals but his
Purple Heart were reinstated. He received disability and back pay in 1988.
[2][3]His Purple Heart was finally reinstated and presented to his widow, Mary, nearly two years after his death.
[1]
. The Marine Corp played a central part in World War 2 . They fought majorBattles in Guadcanal , Bougainville , Tarawa , Guam,Tinian,Saipan ,Iwo Jima , and Okinawa. They fight on Land
thats one big Shotgun
Air
and Sea.
