Posted on 11/15/2018 12:59:47 PM PST by fugazi
1942: Off Guadalcanal, the U.S. and Japanese fleets engage in one of only two battleship-on-battleship engagements of the Pacific War. While Kirishima hammers USS South Dakota (BB-57) in the early morning hours, USS Washington (BB-56) slips away undetected and maneuvers to near point-blank range, raking the Japanese battleship with devastating salvos. Japanese naval guns and torpedoes send three U.S. destroyers (Walke, Preston, and Benham) to the bottom of Ironbottom Sound, while U.S. warplanes destroy four troop transport ships carrying soldiers and badly needed supplies. The Allies have inflicted such heavy losses on the Japanese that they abandon the mission to retake Guadalcanal.
USS South Dakota in 1943
Injured in the attack on South Dakota is 12-year-old Seaman 1st Class Calvin L. Graham, who lied about his age that summer to join the Navy. Graham earns the Bronze Star with Combat "V" and the Purple Heart during the battle. Shockingly, Graham is thrown in the brig for three months, dishonorably discharged, and has his medals stripped when the government learns his actual age. He enlists in the Marine Corps when he turns 17.
1950: "As a squad leader of the 3d Platoon [U.S. Army Pfc. Mack A. Jordan] was participating in a night attack on key terrain against a fanatical hostile force when the advance was halted by intense small-arms and automatic-weapons fire and a vicious barrage of handgrenades. Upon orders for the platoon to withdraw and reorganize, Pfc. Jordan voluntarily remained behind to provide covering fire. Crawling toward an enemy machine gun emplacement, he threw 3 grenades and neutralized the gun. He then rushed the position delivering a devastating hail of fire, killing several of the enemy and forcing the remainder to fall back to new positions. He courageously attempted to move
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
My grandfather was born in 1904. He lied about his age in 1918 and joined the Army. His true age was discovered on the ship carrying him to France. He was discharged and sent back home. He saw no combat and was not allowed to set foot in France. He died in 1984.
Thank you!!
No ‘Snowflake’ he.....................
Difficult to do in this day and age of computer databases, even from third world countries. Back then it was easy..............
IIRC, it was 17, but you had to have your parent(s) sign for you to go in.................
We had no problems finding people to fight after 9/11. I don’t think it would be any different now.
WOW!!!!!!
No snowflake there. God bless him!
Great strategy!
Sorry for your loss. I lost my cousin on the third USS Walke launched in 1943. On 12 June 1951, in Korean waters, the Walke either was torpedoed or hit a floating mine. My cousin was one of the 26 men killed.
There is an underage veterans org. They published some books with short biographies of their service. This was not a rare event in WW2.
Unlike my DHs great uncle (by marriage), who hid under neighbors porch to avoid going into WWII.
Just a teenager when he died. He was more man than most men could ever be. This man died as a hell of a man and he was a man’s man.
Calvin Graham, may he rest in peace. Most kids wouldn’t do that today. The greatest generation was not the SNOWFLAKE GENERATION...
You are probably right. My two oldest boys are Marines, my foster son is in the Army and my youngest son wants to be a squid......ah I mean a Sailor.
I came across my dads military paperwork in a box stored for several years. It had his Navy flight training records, dog tags and identification card. He was a WW2 veteran. His records stated that he was born on 19 September 1922. I had always thought that was his birthdate. I took him to renew his drivers license in 2005, the state of Arizona told him he couldnt renew his license because the records didnt match the birth records from New York. He had an AZ drivers license since 1946. A supervisor from DMV asked why the records didnt match. He told them that he lied about his age to go into the service. They thanked him for his service and gave him his drivers license showing his actual birthday. It took almost 60 years to catch up with him.
Do you have a link to this site? I would like to give them my my dads story.
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