AMERICA'S YOUNGEST WWII HERO AND HOW HE HELPED TURN THE TIDE OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

Jon Hagadorn

Society & Culture, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2023

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1942, 12 year old Calvin Graham, already having left his crowded home and abusive stepfather, walked into a US Naval Recruiting Office with a few faked documents, bypassed the dental check which would have revealed his 12 year old teeth, and was signed into the US Navy. After completing basic training he was assigned to the brand new Battleship South Dakota, and soon found himself serving as a gunner in the middle of some of the Pacific War's most intense carrier battles. He was wounded by shrapnel in the jaw when his gun turret was struck by a 500 lb. bomb- but survived- and when the ship returned for repairs he had only a few days to enjoy the praise before his mo0ther saw him in a newsreel and reported him. He was thrown in the brig and stripped of his medals and honorable discharge. It would take two presidents to straighten things out for him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	.
0:31.0	Hi, everyone. This is your host, John Hagridorn.
0:34.0	This is 1,001 Heroes, Legends, Histories, and Mysteries podcast.
0:40.0	Our story today takes you back to 1942.
0:43.0	When American men and boys were signing up for the armed services,
0:46.0	eager to fight for their country, and in many cases,
0:49.0	just as eager to get away from home.
0:52.0	This is the incredible story of a 12-year-old boy
0:55.0	eager to fight the Japanese after Pearl Harbor,
0:57.0	an eager to get away from an abusive stepfather,
1:00.0	a 12-year-old boy who made it onto the newly-christened battleship South Dakota,
1:05.0	which went right into the action, fought well, and took a terrible pounding.
1:09.0	The story today covers both America's youngest hero,
1:12.0	as well as one of her most decorated battleships,
1:15.0	the South Dakota, the one the Navy was to call, Battleship X.
1:21.0	Some kids grow up early.
1:23.0	It's largely a matter of DNA, or so they say.
1:26.0	It can also be a matter of environment.
1:29.0	There's also a rumor out there that the late bloomers age well,
1:32.0	so it comes out okay on the opposite end.
1:35.0	I have no idea if that's true, but it would be interesting to see
1:38.0	if any serious studies have been done on that.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jon Hagadorn, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jon Hagadorn and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.