Hollywood Stars Who Are Military Veterans

cowart

cowart

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Some surprises in this list of Hollywood actors who also are/were military veterans

Actors Who Served: Hollywood Stars Who Are Military Veterans - The Moviefone Blog

They missed quite a few - Audie Murphy, Chuck Norris, Tyrone Power, Gene Autry, Lee Marvin, James Arness, Neville Brand, Eddie Albert, Russ Meyer, Jackie Coogan, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Glenn Ford, Charlton Heston, William Holden, Brian Keith, Werner Klemperer, Nancy Kulp, Burt Lancaster, Burgess Meredith, Glenn Miller, Robert Montgomery, Wayne Morris, Alan Alda(!), Ed Asner
 
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They missed many! I can think of many more. Off the top of my head, james arness and neville brand. Both were wounded. Eddie albert---
 
It always impressed me that Jimmy Stewart actually flew combat missions, instead of opting for USO duties.

From Wikipedia:

Later in 1940, Stewart was drafted into the United States Army but was rejected for failing to meet height and weight requirements for new recruits—Stewart was five pounds (2.3 kg) under the standard. To get up to 148 pounds, he sought out the help Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's muscle man and trainer Don Loomis, who was noted for his ability to add or subtract pounds in his studio gymnasium. Stewart subsequently attempted to enlist in the Army Air Corps, but still came in under the weight requirement, although he persuaded the AAC enlistment officer to run new tests, this time passing the weigh-in,[29] [N 1] with the result that Stewart enlisted in the Army in March 1941. He became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II.

Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart's orders. His "official" total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th. In 1944, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in combat and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He also received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, Stewart was made Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force, and though he was no longer required or expected to fly missions, he continued to do so. Before the war ended, he was promoted to colonel, one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.[6][30]

There is much more about him, including his later service in the Viet Nam years. He was also a life long supporter of the Boy Scouts, and a staunch Republican. He was also very modest and moral in his personal life...all in all, a very admirable man.

Too bad some of the current Hollywood stars like Sean Penn can't follow his example!
 
If you ever...

...get the opportunity, visit the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton.

They have an entire section devoted to actors and other famous people who have served in the Army Air Corps/Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force.

It's well worth the trip and the time.

What some folks didn't know, was that Clark Gable was officially grounded after his commanding officers found out he was flying on combat missions so he could do his documentary assignments.

They weren't called the "greatest generation" for nothing.
 
Actor Denis Arndt is a true combat helicopter pilot coming out of US Army Aviation as a Captain. He was shot down three times while flying helicopter gunships. I got to know him while he was a helicopter pilot in Alaska. He is a great guy and very humble about his Vietnam exploits. ....... Big Cholla
 
Here is one who isn't *quite* a star yet, but has had supporting roles in several movies with big name actors. It looks like he is moving towards being more of a producer lately.

Sean Huze - IMDb
 
Current stars who were in the military? I can't think of many......

Tom Berenger was in the USMC in real life, I know that much....

There's a country singer who was a SSG in the Army, I forget his name.

There's probably a few others but the list is not nearly as long as "older" movie stars.
 
This is an old topic, but I just had to add to it.

William Windom served as a paratrooper with Company B, 1st Battalion, 508h Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He was in Operation Overlord where one of their objectives was the capture of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Of the 2056 troops who participated in the D-Day landings, only 995 returned. Later he was in action with Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. I just learned about his record. I am impressed.

I don't think I will live long enough to see men of this caliber and heroism in Hollywood again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Windom_(actor)#cite_note-3
 
Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson come to mind. Bronson - Army Borgnine--Navy.
Bronson (Buchinsky) in WWII:
charles-bronson-army.jpg

Borgnine:
borgnine_sailor.jpg
 
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I'll add to a thread I've already contributed to; all three Bridges men (Lloyd, Beau and Jeff) served in the Coast Guard.

Russ
 
Don't forget Mr. Rogers ( of the neighborhood )
Incredible story there considering his screen persona
 
Eddie Albert was interviewed in the late '70's about his experiences in World War II. Like many others, he seemed a bit embarrassed and uneasy about the publicity over his service.

At the invasion of Tarawa, he was in command of a boat that was handling salvage duties during the actual invasion. U.S. Marines lost a huge number of landing craft while trying to navigate the coral reefs, and several had been sunk or damaged. He ordered his boat to rescue Marines who were stranded in the water, doing so under heavy enemy fire. He took the forty-seven rescued Marines back to a ship, got supplies and ammunition, went back and rescued more.

He received the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for his deeds.

Funny, how these of the Greatest Generation were "just doing their part" to win the war.

God bless them!
 
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