Calvin Leon Graham (1930 - 1992)

Born 3 Apr 1930 in Canton, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 6 Nov 1992 at age 62 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Travis Collins [send private message]

Biography

Calvin Graham is Notable.

Calvin Leon Graham, the son of Nora (Gentry) Graham and Lee Graham, was born 3 April 1930 in Canton, Van Zandt County, Texas.^[1] His father died rather young, and his mother remarried.

Graham was the youngest U.S. serviceman to serve and fight at any time after the 19th century. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy from Houston, Texas on 15 August 1942. He was only 12 years old. His case was similar to that of Jack W. Hill, who was granted significant media attention for holding service number one million during World War II but later was discovered to have lied about his age and subsequently discharged.

Graham attended boot camp in San Diego, California for six weeks and afterwards was sent to Pearl Harbor at Oahu, Hawaii. There he was assigned to USS South Dakota in September. The South Dakota left Pearl harbor on 16 October 1942. On 26 October, he participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz. The South Dakota and her crew received a Navy Unit Commendation for the action. On the night of 14–15 November, Graham was wounded during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, he served as a loader for a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun and was hit by shrapnel while taking a hand message to an officer. Though he received fragmentation wounds, he helped in rescue duty by aiding and pulling the wounded aboard ship to safety. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal, and he and his crewmates were awarded another Navy Unit Commendation.

Having taken 42 hits from at least 3 enemy ships, the South Dakota returned to the East Coast on 18 December 1942 for an overhaul and battle damage repairs in New York City. She then was named "Battleship X" in order to make the Japanese think she had been sunk.

Graham 's mother revealed his age after he came home for his grandmother's funeral in Texas, which he unfortunately missed by one day. He and other crew members had been given a four-day pass, but his came with a warning that four days was not enough to get to Texas and back to ship. He in fact missed the ship's embarkation, after which he spent three months in a brig in Texas. He was not released until after his sister threatened to contact the newspapers.

Graham was released from the Navy on 1 April 1943 without any awards or benefits. He then worked in a defense plant as a welder instead of going back to school.

In 1948, Graham joined the United States Marine Corps at age 17, but his enlistment in the Marines also ended early when he fell from a pier and broke his back in 1951. Although serving in the Marine Corps qualified him as a Veteran, he would spend the rest of his life fighting for full medical benefits and clearing his military service record.

After writing to Congress, with the approval of President Jimmy Carter, he was finally given an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1978, and all his medals but the Purple Heart were reinstated. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation that granted him full disability benefits, increased his back pay to $4,917 and allowed him $18,000 for past medical bills, contingent on receipts for the medical services. By this time, however, many of his doctors had died, bills were lost, and Graham only $2,100 of the possible $18,000.

Graham's story came to public attention in 1988 when it was told in the TV movie "Too Young the Hero" starring Ricky Schroder. While the money for rights to his story amounted to $50,000, Graham and his wife received just $15,000 before taxes. The balance of $35,000 was divided between two agents and the writer of an unpublished book.

Calvin Leon Graham died on 6 November 1992 and was laid to rest at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas. Nearly two years later, on 21 June 1994, his Purple Heart was reinstated by then Secretary of the Navy John Dalton. In the end, his military awards and decorations included ...

* Bronze Star

* Purple Heart

* Navy Unit Commendation with service star

* American Campaign Medal

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two service stars

* World War II Victory Medal

* National Defense Service Medal

* Korean Service Medal

* United Nations Service Medal

* Republic of Korea War Service Medal^[2]

Related Links

• The Boy Who Became A World War II Veteran At 13 Years Old

Sources

1. ↑ "Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6LW-KRT : 4 April 2020), Calvin Leon Graham, 03 Apr 1930; citing Canton, Van Zandt, Texas, United States, certificate 38934, Texas Department of Health, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,139,152.
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Graham