All the branches of the U.S. military are extremely rich in courage, bravery, heroism, esprit de corps, dedication to duty and battle victories. All backed-up by trillions of hours of training paid for by the U.S. taxpayer.
There are millions of civilians that volunteered for military service and many more that didn’t want to volunteer but were drafted and deployed overseas to combat areas.
Joining the U.S. military is your choice and only your choice. And volunteering for military service to combat-arms MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) is especially a very serious decision but very rewarding.
I’m being upfront with you, I added this blog post to at least SHAME YOU into considering military service and look into a military branch (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard) that may interest you.
At the end of this blog post are 02 of my Survival Books that are no B.S. books that will give you the inside look into military service (U.S. Army) based on my own experiences and I tell you like it is.
If you’re:
- 18-years old
- High School graduate
- Free of a criminal background
- Able to pass other military recruitment standards
and you’re barely thinking about entering military service, but favoring staying home and hanging out with your childhood friends, then you ought to grow up a bit right now and read the following true accounts of very young men and women volunteering for military service.
Yeah, OK you big baby, go ahead get some snacks and drinks. Get in your favorite chair, Lazy Boy recliner, or bed. OK, let’s start with “The Most Bravest ‘Kids’ During Time Of War!”
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“The Most Bravest ‘Kids’ During Time Of War!”
Let me introduce you to some ‘kids’ who would make the most hardcore draft dodger and deserters ashamed of their selfish acts of avoiding military service.
The following kids are just a few of the thousands of brave & courageous patriotic kids who volunteered for military service after the United States entered World War II following the ‘dastardly attack’ of Pearl Harbor on 07 December 1941. Let’s start with George W. Holle.
Note: I call them ‘kids’ but they’re very brave men & women who volunteered for military service using falsified birth certificates and other falsified documents so to serve their country. It is noted military recruiters knew of falsified documents but let these volunteers enter the military service to meet recruitment goals.
Plus, the U.S. military needed to fill the ranks. Fighting 02 Fronts, Europe and Pacific required millions of service members to win the war. Let’s start with George W. Holle.
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George W. Holle: On 28 October 1941, George W. Holle, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, signed-up for the U.S. Marine Corps. George fought at Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands) and participated in other combat actions against Japanese forces. While in the South Pacific, George W. Holle’s secret was revealed to the U.S. Marine Corps and Holle was detained and immediately sent back to the United States. Turns out this very brave and courageous American patriot was only 12-years old! Only 12-years old and proudly serving his country in time of war.
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Calvin L. Graham: On 15 August 1942, Calvin L. Graham enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Graham, a Seaman First Class (SFC) was serving aboard the USS South Dakota and fought at Guadalcanal as a gunner.
The USS South Dakota took 42 enemy strikes and SFC Graham was struck by shrapnel that tore through his jaw and mouth. Another enemy strike tossed SFC Graham from his gunner position to 30-feet below on the lower deck. With his serious wounds, SFC Graham helped fellow sailors to safe positions.
In SFC Graham own words: “I took belts off the dead and made tourniquets for the living and gave them cigarettes and encouraged them all night. I didn’t do any complaining because half the ship was dead.” Unknown to everyone in the Navy, turns out Seaman First Class Calvin L. Graham was only 12-years old! In my humble opinion, Seaman First Class Calvin L. Graham is the epitome of a patriotic warrior. But the story doesn’t end here.
Once the Navy learned of Graham’s real age of only 12-years old, he was thrown in the brig for 03-months. He was stripped of all his earned combat medals and thrown out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge. At the age of 17, Graham joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He was medically discharged from a broken back when he fell off a pier. That fall from the pier had him using a walking cane for the rest of his life. He was denied any medical benefits because of his dishonorable discharge.
For the rest of his life Graham fought for his medical benefits and all his war medals. In 1977, Graham started a letter-writing campaign to recover his earned medical benefits, get an honorable discharge and recover all his war medals. In his own words: “I know they had their reasons for doing what they did (Vietnam War deserters and draft dodgers), but I figure I damn sure deserved [an honorable discharge] more than they did.”
In 1978, Calvin C. Graham finally received his Honorable Discharge and war medals except his Purple Heart. In 1988, Calvin C. Graham was finally given his earned VA (Veterans Administration) disability benefits.
In 1992 at 62-years old, Calvin L. Graham died. Approximately 02-years later, his wife finally received his Purple Heart from the Navy. In my humble opinion, the U.S. Navy screwed-over Calvin L. Graham from the beginning – BIG TIME. A movie was made about his life – Too Young The Hero (1988).
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Jacklyn Lucas: On 06 August 1942, Jacklyn Lucas entered the US Marine Corps. The 05-foot 08-inch kid told the recruiter he was 17-years old and he looked old enough and the Marine recruiter signed him up. Lucas was actually 14-years old.
In November 1943, Lucas was stationed at Camp Catlin, Hawaii. Lucas wrote to his girlfriend telling her he just turned 15 years old. All letters are screened through censors and the person reading this letter alerted Lucas’ chain-of command that he was only 15-years old.
Lucas told the Colonel that if the Marine Corps discharged him, he’d join the Army. The Colonel assigned Lucas to a supply depot to keep him away from any combat. Lucas wanted to see combat and he knew trouble-makers in the Marine Corps were sent to the battle front. So Lucas was constantly in & out of the brig because of his brawling.
In January 1945, Lucas learned that his cousin’s outfit was heading for Iwo Jima on the USS Deuel. Lucas went AWOL from his current assignment and snuck on the USS Deuel and hid in a landing craft.
Just before Lucas was declared a deserter at the 30-day limit, Lucas turned himself in and reported to Colonel Dan Pollock of the 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Lucas told Colonel Pollock he wanted to fight. In Colonel Pollock’s own words: “I’d like to have a whole shipload of Marines that want to fight as bad as you.”
On 14 February 1945, Lucas turned 17-years old. Just 05-days later, Marines hit the beaches of Iwo Jima to include Lucas himself. Lucas along with other Marines were in a trench ready to assault a Japanese pillbox (machinegun position) when his rifle jammed. A Japanese grenade landed in the trench so Lucas butt stroked the grenade into the volcanic ash and jumped on the grenade to save his fellow Marines.
Laying there another Japanese grenade was thrown in the trench and Lucas grabbed it pulling the 2nd grenade underneath him to save his fellow Marines. Lucas was laying on 02 Japanese grenades to save his fellow Marines. One grenade went off propelling Lucas up and out of the trench. His fellow Marines thought Lucas was surely dead and carried-on assaulting the pillbox. After the fight, Marines found Lucas still alive! Lucas was a bloody mess with shrapnel in his body from his head to his thighs.
Transferred to a hospital, the surgeon was quoted as “Maybe he was too damned young and too damned tough to die.” 22 surgeries and 07-months later, on 05 October 1945, Jacklyn Lucas was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for his courageous actions on Iwo Jima.
Jacklyn Lucas at 17-years old, is the youngest U.S. Marine to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Lucas lived with his war wounds for the rest of his life with approximately 200 pieces of shrapnel still imbedded throughout his body. Bad ass Marine Jacklyn Lucas died on 05 June 2008.
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Three Kid Wrecking Crew: I can’t be positive, but I’m confident this ‘Three Kid Wrecking Crew’ made history as the youngest trio of blood brothers to see combat fighting alongside each other.
But these blood brothers weren’t fighting in a conventional means, these 03 blood brothers were guerilla fighters. They fought alongside other brave guerilla fighters who were always outnumbered and outgunned fighting the Japanese throughout the Philippines.
These guerilla fighters were fighting under the control of the head guerilla fighter a U.S. Army guerilla fighter named Colonel Wendell Fertig.
The three brothers Charles Smith (16 years old), Frank Smith (15 years old) and Larry Smith (14 years old) were already in the Philippines with their parents who had a business in Mindanao, Philippines. They had a business till the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1942.
The Smith family evaded and hid for 08-months till the 03 Smith boys joined Colonel Fertig’s guerilla fighters.
The 03 Smith brothers participated in multiple combat actions as well as gathering information on Japanese forces. The guerilla efforts by Colonel Fertig and his guerilla fighters brought great havoc on the Japanese Empire forces that occupied the Philippines. The Smith brothers were a Three Kid Wrecking Crew against the Japanese Empire.
Colonel Fertig’s resistance movement fought for almost 03-years. His 35,000 – 40,000 guerrillas killed approximately 7,000 Japanese soldiers. But more important Colonel Fertig’s resistance movement captured 150,000 Japanese for because of “Fertig Resistance” with the help of the Three Kid Wrecking Crew, the Japanese never really controlled the Philippines. See 29+ Colonel Wendell W. Fertig Survival Tricks in the 2007 Anytime Anywhere Survival Newsletters.
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Dorothy Brandt: Dorothy Brandt enlisted in the WAC (Women’s Army Corps) in February 1944. Dorothy served 03 ½ years in the Army stationed in Italy, Austria and Germany. Dorothy was only 16-years old when she entered the service. She wrote a book – “America’s Youngest Women Warriors.”
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VUMS: VUMS stands for Veterans of Underage Military Service. In 1991, VUMS was founded by Allan Stover. Allan Stover himself entered the Coast Guard during the Korean War. He was only 14-years old. VUMS is a membership of military veterans who entered military service underage.
VUMS compiled a list of underage military veterans from World War I, World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War. VUMS has discovered records of approximately 2,800 underage military veterans. America’s Youngest Warriors is a 06-volume collection of stories of these brave underage warriors.
For more information:
- www.oldvums.org
- 1-888-653-8867
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MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: I’m not sure if a book was ever written about the underground resistance movements during World War II. I’m not talking about adults in the resistance movements, I’m talking about kids in resistance movements in Europe and the South Pacific. I bet there were thousands of kids who helped the war efforts against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Which brings me to Quinquin.
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Quinquin: Quinquin was his code name. He was part of the French Resistance during World War II. His country of France was occupied by German forces. This young man followed orders. His job was to cross enemy lines and deliver messages to fellow French Resistance agents.
Quinquin’s real name is Marcel Pinte. Marcel was accidently killed by friendly fire. This courageous young man would have been a great leader after the war. Marcel Pinte was one of the youngest French Resistance Agents. Marcel was only 06-years old when he was killed by friendly fire.
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Armless Girl Shaming & Motivating America’s Elite Fighters!
Remember I’ve told you that when Special Forces students failed to complete the ruckmarches & runs they started their own cascading effect of more and more PT (physical training). They were penalized with more and more PT.
Most students wanted nothing to do with it and kicked themselves in the butt and made those ruckmarches and runs even if they came through the gates collapsing to the ground. There was NEVER a run or rucksack march where the entire class made it together – NEVER (when no Officer(s) were tagging along).
Anyway, I had another technique. I shamed them into kicking themselves in the butt to make the ruckmarches and the runs. When the schedule had a couple hours free, we’d take em’ (penalized students) on a late night ruckmarch or run. We’d take them in the hand-to-hand pit for the usual several warm-up exercises and then onto the ruckmarch or run.
But after the warm-up exercises, I’d tell students to “take a chair and listen up” (sit down in the sawdust) and tell em’ a little True story and here it is:
I was on leave in Pueblo, Colorado at my parent’s home. One morning I went out to the front porch and saw the neighbors across the street were working on their roof.
The father was hammering away making a lot of racket. Below him was his little daughter. She was riding one of those Hot Wheels – a 03 tire toy that you pedaled with your feet and steered with your hands. The little girl stopped her Hot Wheels at the base of the 20-foot ladder that led to the roof where her father was working.
Her father yelled at her ‘Don’t come up here.’ I turned around and walked back inside the house. I came back out about 10-minutes later to find that little girl on the roof! Not only did she climb the steep ladder, but she climbed to the top of the roof where her father was located. Real brave for a little girl uh!
But get this. It turns out that little girl was born without any arms! She propelled her Hot Wheels with her feet and steered it with her chest!
And she not only climbed that ladder on her own but climbed the to the top of the roof on her own and she did it with no arms! I asked my parents “How did she get up there?” They said she did it on her own – a brave little girl no doubt!
“Now here you are in this hand-to-hand pit. Why are you here? Why? You’re here because you FAILED to meet the standards. You failed to complete a run\ruckmarch with the main body. You’re supposed to be America’s Elite Fighters. You have 02 perfectly good legs, 02 perfectly good arms but you failed to meet the standards.
You haven’t half the heart that little armless girl has. Next time you fall behind on a ruckmarch or run you think of that little girl. You think of the big heart that little girl has to climb that ladder to climb that roof WITHOUT ANY ARMS!
She isn’t feeling sorry for herself! She’s not letting her disability keeping her from playing like a normal kid. Again, next time you feel like failing to meet the standards – YOU THINK OF THAT LITTLE GIRL AND YOU BETTER KICK YOURSELF IN THE BUTT!
You want to be America’s Elite Fighters, you better go beyond what you’ve been doing. You better kick yourself in the butt and show yourself your real potential. Is this the absolutely last time we’ll see you in this pit?” And the candidates shouted with “Clear Sergeant.”
And you know what, it worked. No, there was NEVER a ruckmarch or run where 100% of the class made it when only us TACS (enlisted soldiers) were running the show, but that little story did cut down on those soldiers doing extra PT.
As I stated before, some students that took the full effect of the “cascading effect” did a heck of a lot of extra PT but they never gave-up, they kept going no matter how bad they were hurting which demonstrated they had a lot of heart. Sometimes I gave this story after they did their penalized PT.
One night, another TAC – Rod (Rodriguez) asked me afterwards if I made-up this story? I told him “No, it’s a true story.”
Note: Yes, even them bad ass Navy SEALs fail runs and rucksack marches. I distinctly remember one Navy SEAL in the front row in the hand-to-hand pit as I related the Armless Girl story. He looked whooped.
And like I stated, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from – for each military school you have to prove yourself all over again – you have to meet the standards.
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See About The Author
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Outnumbered And Outgunned At Shok Valley!
The following 04-time volunteers made military history. They:
- Volunteered for military service
- Volunteered for the U.S. Army
- Volunteered for Airborne School
- Volunteered for U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets)
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On 06 April 2008 (Sunday), U.S. Army ODA 3336 from 3rd Special Forces Group, an A-Team of 12 U.S. Army Green Berets and their Afghan counterparts infiltrated Shok Valley in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.
When the Soviets were in Afghanistan (Dec. 1979 – Feb. 1989), they never entered Shok Valley. During the first 07-years of Operation Enduring Freedom, no Coalition Forces ever entered Shok Valley. Shok Valley was dominated for decades by a militant group called Hezb-e-Islam Gulbuddin.
ODA-3336 was the very 1st foreign military to infiltrate into Shok Valley. And this 1st infiltration would be a battle that will go down in the military history books.
On a cold morning at daybreak on 06 April 2008 (Sunday), ODA-3336 and Afghan allies infiltrated Shok Valley via helicopter. The 12 Green Berets and allies infiltrated 1,000-feet below a small village that was complimented with fighting positions to include home-made mud positions with loopholes for snipers.
ODA-3336 patrolled up towards the small village. The enemy waited till the Green Berets were within range of their weapons and they opened-up on the Green Berets from all sides. The ODA and their allied Afghan counterparts were now in the worst predicament of all – they were almost completely surrounded.
The firefight just started and the ODA’s attached interpreter was killed instantly. The Communications Sergeant was also hit in the hip.
The Green Berets and allies immediately returned fire and began calling in Close Air Support (CAS) missions on the well-emplaced, dug-in enemy. The firefight continued with the A-Team and Afghan counterparts leap-frogging down the mountain covering each other while calling-in more CAS missions.
The CAS missions were so close, Green Berets took casualties from their own CAS missions. Pilots circling the firefight above estimated approximately 200 Hezb-e-Islam Gulbuddin enemy personnel enveloping the Green Berets and their allied Afghan commandos.
One Green Beret was shot with a big caliber weapon in the right leg, that almost completely severed it just below his knee. The brave Green Beret applied emergency first-aid to his own wound to include giving himself a shot of morphine for the POUNDING PAIN and he carried-on with the fight. The bad ass Green Beret’s first and middle name just happened to be ‘John Wayne’!!
The Team Sergeant, the senior enlisted soldier on the A-Team took a bullet clean through his shoulder and another bullet hit him in the chest but his 2nd Chance Vest stopped the bullet saving him from sure death.
The A-Team’s above average marksmanship skills and their allied Afghan counterparts were picking-off the enemy and the CAS missions also aided in their slow retreat down the mountain. Treating their own wounded, the outnumbered and outgunned Green Berets & Afghan counterparts were holding their own.
But the firefight was now in its 6th hour, its sixth hour and the commandos were now low on ammunition. The fighting Green Berets called-in 70 CAS missions on the enemy. 70 CAS missions in 01 firefight. I’m guessing, but that has got to be a world record. 70 CAS missions on the well dug-in Hezb-e-Islam Gulbuddin.
Towards the end of the firefight, just before finally being extracted, 01 Green Beret only had 15-rounds of ammunition – just half a 30-round magazine. The end result of the Shok Valley firefight, of the 12 Green Berets, 04 were critically wounded.
The estimated enemy killed, clocked in at 150 dead and the number of enemy wounded is unknown. ODA 3336 was awarded 10 Silver Stars and other combat awards. The brave aviators also deserve high recognition for flying all those dangerous 70 CAS missions. I’m unaware if any friendly aircraft were brought down by enemy fire.
Note: I don’t know if a documentary was made on this military operation. If not, this military operation is worthy of a documentary and may be a Big Screen movie!
UPDATES: On 01 October 2018 (Monday), President Donald Trump awarded Green Beret, Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer, the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the 06-hour battle at Shok Valley, Afghanistan.
On 30 October 2019 (Wednesday), President Donald Trump awarded Green Beret, Master Sergeant Matthew Williams, the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the 06-hour battle at Shok Valley, Afghanistan.
AMAZING – 10 Silver Stars initially awarded and 02 upgraded to Medals of Honor. 02 Medal of Honor Winners in 01 battle. Hollywood, when is the movie coming out??
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They All Volunteered!
Every story you just read, all these soldiers volunteered to serve the mighty US of A. And there are millions of other soldiers, marines, air men, sailors and coastees that volunteered before them. Before I let you go, let me tell about volunteers from the Vietnam War.
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Vietnam War Volunteers And Draftees!
The Vietnam War was an unpopular war. There were thousands of volunteers that wanted to do their service and they deployed to Vietnam. But all the volunteers didn’t cover the manpower needed for the war. The draft was started and approximately 1,857,304 were drafted to go to Vietnam. YES, at least one draftee was awarded the Medal of Honor. From draftee to Medal of Honor Winner – medic, Army Specialist 5th Class Clarence Sasser.
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Let me give you “I’d Rather Shake the Hand!” and I leave you with 02 videos for you!
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I’d Rather Shake The Hand!
I’d rather shake the hand of a military veteran than a NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL superstar.
I’d rather shake the hand of a Private on active-duty than a famous movie star.
I’d rather shake the hand of a Medal of Honor winner than a President or King.
I’d rather shake the hand of a caring volunteer than a powerful politician.
I’d rather shake the hand of a dirt poor, law-abiding citizen than a rich multi-millionaire.
I’d rather shake the hand of my dearest friend Kimberly, a brave & courageous police officer, than the Attorney General Of The United States.
I’d rather shake the hand of a sworn enemy to the United States than a selfish coward American draft dodger who leeches the amenities of this great country and not give back when the U.S. Government calls for Duty, Honor and Country.
Joseph A. Laydon Jr. – 27 June 2005
Note: The U.S. Attorney General is the top Law Enforcement Officer in the United States of America and her Territories and Trust Territories.
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www.survivalexpertrblog.com/52-survival-books
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www.survivalexpertrblog.com/52-survival-books
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Please watch this video to the end. It gets better and better. God Bless MSG Roy Benavidez, his family, his comrades and all potential recruits for military service.
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Please tell your friends about this blog post.
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