Glynn863
Member
So is that a standard M3 or M7 holster that he's wearing for the .38?
Do you know the man in the picture?
- Thread starter Kevin J.
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LVSteve
Member
David Niven had some curious roles in WWII. Probably his most important was with a group that provided connectivity between widely disparate units in the field, while also carrying out some signals intelligence. I suppose you would call it the beginnings of the modern command, control, communication, and intelligence (C3I) setups you can read about in today's military publications. Niven rarely spoke about his experiences, saying this after being asked to find the grave of the son of an American friend at Bastogne:
I've rarely read a comment from those who have seen combat that lays out so well how little the rest of us know.
Late to the party, but I recognized Ted Williams, forfeiting his best playing years in Korea, serving his country.
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
It might seem that way, but there are lots of famous actors and athletes who were enlisted during the wars. Many times, some college education would qualify the applicant for a commission. Other times, it was due to a skill they already had. Here's a short list of some names you'll know who enlisted and served as enlistees and NCO's:
Joe DiMaggio (Sgt)
Joe Louis (Sgt)
Stan Musial
Lee Marvin (USMC PFC)
Paul Newman
Morgan Freeman
Elvis
Charles Bronson (Cpl)
Charles Durning (PFC)
Several were decorated for their service. Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts.
Elvis, Elvis Presley was drafted into the Army in 1957 during a time of peace.
DWalt
Member
Most of the Ted Williams accolades are directed toward his abilities on the diamond. As an individual, he was considered to have a crude and combative personality, certainly not the nicest friendliest guy you'd ever want to know.
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cmj8591
Member
He had a baseball camp not far from where I grew up. There was a really good gunsmith/machinist close by that Ted used to make and work on his guns. I used to be in and out of that shop when I was younger and there were a lot of old time shooters there who interacted with him regularly. No one ever had anything good to say about him. The gunsmith came close to throwing him out a few times but he was a cash cow so he let a lot of stuff pass.
But on a different note, is there anyone here who wouldn't give a part of their anatomy to own that Victory rig that he's wearing in the OP's photo?
cmj8591
Member
Like I said, I would never take away from his service but he didn't volunteer.
DWalt
Member
Story was he tried to avoid getting drafted beecause he was the sole support for his invalid mother. Apparently that didn't work.
cmj8591
Member
I'm pretty sure he was estranged from his mother so that might have had something to do with it.
DWalt
Member
David Niven wrote two books I remember (maybe more I don't). Titles were "The Moon's A Balloon" and "Bring On The Empty Horses". Both are excellent reads documenting Hollywood in the 1930s-40s. In one of them, I don't remember which, he relates his WWII military exploits in some detail.
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Richard Gere. Except he'd be too young.
This would help explain the crumpled uniform and hat and pose. Definitely not the image of a Officer that the military wanted the public to see.
Delta Expatriate
Member
I expect that since he had been in the cramped cockpit of a Panther jet he had just belly-landed after it had been damaged by flak might have had something to do with the crumpled uniform. I don't know if he "posed" for the picture. Maybe someone who realized who he was took the picture?
LVSteve
Member
Not in the copies I have. He did relate his brief time with a Highland unit well before WWII, especially how he resigned by letter or telegram once in Canada (I think).
British comedian Spike Milligan gave a pretty full account of his WWII service (including shell-shock) in a series of five or six books.
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. . . Lee Marvin and Paul Newman were teenagers when they entered service. Bronson and Durning were barely 20. Point is that other than the sports guys, the others either did not serve in WWII or they were unknown when they served.
Oh, forgot the photo of Lee.
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Hair Trigger
US Veteran
My guess he posed for it. Normally you'd wear your A2 leather jacket over the shoulder holster, not the other way around.
Doug M.
Member
Depending on the circumstances, uniform regs have been more "flexible" in combat areas. As for GlennMiller, I suspect he was one of those who was commissioned for a role. In his case it was likely to have regular access to him for morale reasons.
