Calvin Graham's legacy of service to our great nation is one for the record books. It is highly unlikely that any military enlistee will join the Armed Forces, fight in a war, and take shrapnel to the face who will be younger than the age of 12. That’s right. Calvin was 12 years old when he enlisted in the Navy to fight in World War II.
He was moved to serve following Japan’s deadly sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. It is believed that Mr. Graham, all of 12 years old, forged a Guardian’s signature, stole a notary stamp from a hotel innkeeper, and filed the fraudulent paperwork stating he was old enough to serve.
There is a long history of teens, especially in the WWII era, who willingly sacrificed their lives to fight for freedom around the world.
Take Joseph L. Argenzio, Jr. He was only 16-years-old when he stormed the beaches of Normandy. He survived only because he jumped over the side of his boat, while his fellow soldiers in front of him who advanced forward were slaughtered by unrelenting German gunfire. Mr. Argenzio lived only because he was forced to use the bodies of two fellow American comrades as shields to avoid a hail of German bullets and bombs as he advanced on the beach.
While Graham and Argenzio miraculously survived the horrors of war as young teens, 15-year-old Dan Bullock did not.
He enlisted in the Vietnam War and is believed to be the youngest casualty of that conflict. It is believed that Bullock was 14 years old when he doctored his birth certificate to serve. He died in his bunker at his base when a North Vietnamese combatant tossed a small explosive device called a “satchel charge" into his barracks.
These were brave and honorable children who thought so much of their country that they took incredible risks and fabricated birth documents just for the chance to serve. These heroes lived by the mantra of “service over self” and were willing to die to fight for the United States of America.
Compare these three heroes, who couldn’t legally buy a beer, and countless others who did the same, to the 21-year-old Coram “man” who police arrested for engaging in social media pranks.
Kyle Vazquez’s claim to fame is having people record him dumping buckets of raw eggs and beans on his head at various businesses, then posting his hijinks to social media. I’ll remind you that he’s a 21-year-old “adult” who most definitely is old enough to purchase beer and cigarettes and vote.
This is how far we’ve fallen as a society in the span of 80 years: 12, 14, and 16-year-olds are willing to die for their country, while 21-year-olds measure the heights of success and achievement as how many clicks and views they can get for dumping eggs on their noggin.
Suffolk Police and the Suffolk District Attorney did not find Vazquez’s pranks humorous. Neither did the two business owners who had to spend big bucks cleaning up after his egg and bean mess. Kudos to law enforcement and prosecutors for charging the “man” with felonies. His parents must be proud.
Hopefully, going through the criminal justice system and the potential of spending time in prison will scare Vazquez straight. Right about now either a miracle or a tough time behind bars will scramble some sense into his brain and get this young man on the right track.
Clearly, everything he’s surrounded himself with hasn’t been working. His claim to fame is dumping disgusting food on his head, recording it, and posting it to social media.
Patriotic warriors like Calvin Graham, Joseph L. Argenzio, and Dan Bullock fought, were hurt, and died to give us the incredible freedoms that we enjoy today.
Unfortunately, some feel the need to flex and exercise the freedom to be stupid for clicks.