Q: What prevented Billy Graham from joining the U.S. Army?
A. His weight.
In 1944, Billy Graham could not be accepted into the army chaplaincy program because he was underweight. After being granted an extension to “fatten up” and gaining the necessary weight, he came down with a severe case of the mumps that prevented him from attending the chaplaincy school.
While recovering from the after effects of the mumps, Torrey Johnston approached Mr. Graham about organizing youth rallies throughout the U.S., Canada and eventually the world. In January of 1945, Billy Graham became a full-time employee of Youth for Christ.
—From Just As I Am by Billy Graham
