Difference between revisions of "78-06-B1"

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<TABLE BORDER="0"><TR><TD WIDTH="60%" ROWSPAN="2">
 
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=== Transcript ===
 
=== Transcript ===
−
No Transcript Currently Available
+
In 1942 America was at war with Germany and Japan, and a patriotic Texas lad
 +
joined the Navy to do his part. He completed basic training. He was made a
 +
gunner on that gallant old battle wagon the USS South Dakota. At Guadalcanal and
 +
Santa Cruz, Cal Graham bravely fed 40 millimeter shells to his anti-aircraft gun
 +
as enemy planes raked his ship with a deadly hail of bullets. He was severely
 +
injured in the mouth by a shipboard accident, and he was awarded three ribbons
 +
and medals for his dedicated service.
  
 +
But then the Navy Department received a copy of a document from a citizen.
 +
And when the Navy digested the message of that document, it snatched Cal Graham
 +
from his gun and flew him home to the States. Cal was locked in the brig for
 +
three months, then dismissed from the Navy without an honorable discharge.
 +
 +
You see, the document received by the Navy was Cal Graham's birth certificate.
 +
It came from Cal's mother. And it proved that fighting Cal Graham was only twelve
 +
years old when he enlisted, and 13 when he faced the blazing guns of enemy planes
 +
in the South Pacific.
 +
 +
So, for Cal Graham, aged 13 World War II was over. When the Korean War broke
 +
out, Cal Graham--by then 21 --enlisted in the Marine Corps to once again fight for
 +
his country. While in the Marines he suffered another serious accident--a broken
 +
back. For this injury he was given an honorable medical discharge and eligibility
 +
for Veteran's medical care benefits.
 +
 +
But for his mouth injury from World War II, Cal can't get any help at all. He
 +
has appealed time and time again, but his appeals are invariably denied. The
 +
Navy argues that since Cal Graham, age 12, forged documents in order to enlist,
 +
he was technically never in the Navy and therefore cannot be discharged.
 +
 +
At last, however, fighting Cal Graham has found some friends. Senators Lloyd
 +
Bentsen and John Tower of Texas are sponsoring a Senate bill to give Cal Graham
 +
an honorable discharge from the Navy. That will sweep away the bureaucratic
 +
roadblocks and make Cal eligible for the medical and dental care he has long
 +
deserved but never been eligible to receive.
 +
 +
Passing the Bentsen-Tower bill is about the least Congress can do to right the
 +
wrong for Cal Graham. In recent years, since the end of the Vietnam War, thousands
 +
of former servicemen have had their discharges upgraded to "honorable" under the
 +
Ford and Carter amnesty programs. No doubt a great many of these beneficiaries
 +
of amnesty were originally denied an honorable discharge simply because they did,
 +
not want to fight.
 +
 +
Cal Graham wanted to fight for his country. And, given the chance, (even at
 +
age 13), he fought side-by-side with men. Congress now owes Cal Graham at least
 +
as good a deal as it gave to thousands of others who tried every trick to avoid
 +
having to fight for their country.
 +
 +
This is Ronald Reagan.
 +
 +
Thanks for listening.
 
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
 
<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
 
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>03/13/[[Radio1978|1978]]</TD></TR>
 
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>03/13/[[Radio1978|1978]]</TD></TR>
−
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>N/A</TD></TR>
+
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/2024-07/40-656-7386263-014-008-2024.pdf#PAGE=43 Online PDF]</TD></TR>
 
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
 
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
 
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
 
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>

Latest revision as of 15:15, 26 January 2026

- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1978

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Fighting Cal Graham[edit]

Transcript[edit]

In 1942 America was at war with Germany and Japan, and a patriotic Texas lad joined the Navy to do his part. He completed basic training. He was made a gunner on that gallant old battle wagon the USS South Dakota. At Guadalcanal and Santa Cruz, Cal Graham bravely fed 40 millimeter shells to his anti-aircraft gun as enemy planes raked his ship with a deadly hail of bullets. He was severely injured in the mouth by a shipboard accident, and he was awarded three ribbons and medals for his dedicated service.

But then the Navy Department received a copy of a document from a citizen. And when the Navy digested the message of that document, it snatched Cal Graham from his gun and flew him home to the States. Cal was locked in the brig for three months, then dismissed from the Navy without an honorable discharge.

You see, the document received by the Navy was Cal Graham's birth certificate. It came from Cal's mother. And it proved that fighting Cal Graham was only twelve years old when he enlisted, and 13 when he faced the blazing guns of enemy planes in the South Pacific.

So, for Cal Graham, aged 13 World War II was over. When the Korean War broke out, Cal Graham--by then 21 --enlisted in the Marine Corps to once again fight for his country. While in the Marines he suffered another serious accident--a broken back. For this injury he was given an honorable medical discharge and eligibility for Veteran's medical care benefits.

But for his mouth injury from World War II, Cal can't get any help at all. He has appealed time and time again, but his appeals are invariably denied. The Navy argues that since Cal Graham, age 12, forged documents in order to enlist, he was technically never in the Navy and therefore cannot be discharged.

At last, however, fighting Cal Graham has found some friends. Senators Lloyd Bentsen and John Tower of Texas are sponsoring a Senate bill to give Cal Graham an honorable discharge from the Navy. That will sweep away the bureaucratic roadblocks and make Cal eligible for the medical and dental care he has long deserved but never been eligible to receive.

Passing the Bentsen-Tower bill is about the least Congress can do to right the wrong for Cal Graham. In recent years, since the end of the Vietnam War, thousands of former servicemen have had their discharges upgraded to "honorable" under the Ford and Carter amnesty programs. No doubt a great many of these beneficiaries of amnesty were originally denied an honorable discharge simply because they did, not want to fight.

Cal Graham wanted to fight for his country. And, given the chance, (even at age 13), he fought side-by-side with men. Congress now owes Cal Graham at least as good a deal as it gave to thousands of others who tried every trick to avoid having to fight for their country.

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.

 

Details[edit]

Batch Number78-06-B1
Production Date03/13/1978
Book/PageOnline PDF
Audio
Youtube?No

Added Notes[edit]

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