- After returning home from the brig, Calvin attempted to go back to school. Instead, he worked as a welder at the age of 14. It was also at that age, he started his first marriage and fathered a child.
- At 12 years old, was possibly the youngest (known) to serve in World War II.
- After his discharge(s) from the military, he fought for the rest of his life to receive the veterans' benefits he deserved. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter helped upgrade his discharge to Honorable; however, his Purple Heart medal was withheld. In 1988, after viewing Too Young the Hero (1988), President Ronald Reagan signed legislation to allow Graham to receive the medical benefits he was denied. His Purple Heart was re-awarded posthumously to his widow in 1994.
- After being released from the brig, the Navy dishonorably discharged him making him ineligible for disability benefits. The medals he earned were also revoked.
- Calvin Leon Graham is buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas. On his tombstone, in addition to his name, branches of the military, conflicts served, and dates of birth and death, is the inscription "Too Young The Hero.".
- Also at 17, after the divorce and leaving his magazine subscription job, (despite a prior dishonorable discharge) he was able to legally re-enlist in the military via the U.S. Marine Corps. He served for three years making the rank of Corporal. All seemed well for a second chance at military service until a fall from a pier resulting in a broken back ended his career once and for all.
- By age 17, he was divorced and left his welding job to sell magazine subscriptions. Eventually, he left the subscription job and eventually unemployed.
- Portrayed by Ricky Schroder in Too Young the Hero (1988).
- Calvin Graham was the youngest of seven children. While the movie Too Young the Hero (1988) depicts him and his brother Frank joining the Navy underage, two other brothers (not mentioned) also served in the Navy. The difference is, they joined legally without lying about their ages.
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