Do you know the man in the picture?
- Thread starter Kevin J.
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tFound this great photo. Who else recognizes him? Bonus points for identifying the location.
Can't place the person but I think it was taken in Korea!
Yes, K-13 is an Army Base in Korea. I checked and it's also called "Suwon Air Base" The person in the picture, who I do not know, appears to be an aircrewman with that pistol and bandolier. I can't determine if it's still actively utilized.
Bill
Bill
LVSteve
Member
Is it Joe McConnell, top F-86 ace?
Ted Williams!
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Dennis Hopper . . .
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Don't put a question mark with your response - you got it.
Ted missed nearly 5 seasons because of his service in WWII and Korea.
Solemn hand salute.
Solemn hand salute.
Delta Expatriate
Member
Yes, it is Ted Williams, with a S & W .38 Speciali in that holster - have seen that photo numerous times.
Ted Williams in Korea
Do others notice that most celebrities' in WWII and Korea were given officer ranks, some very high ranks. Wonder if they had any command responsibilities?
Leadership positions for those in the flying business was probably a normal occurence. They were flight leads or aircraft commanders, and they probably had some squadron, group or wing leadership positions as well. Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart was the highest ranking officer of all the celebrities. If you haven't seen the movie, "Strategic Air Command" it is certainly worth a watch.
Jimmy Stewart | The American Legion
DWalt
Member
It would be interesting to compile a list of notable sports and entertainment personalities of yesteryear who served in WWII and a brief description of their service. Maybe that has already been done. I can think of quite a few, but there were probably a lot more that I don't know about. I once knew a man who knew William Holden when he was in the USAAF. What Holden did, I have no idea, but I remember that he was an officer. I also remember that Clark Gable wanted combat duty in a bomber position in the USAAF, but the higher-ups denied that because if he were captured by the Germans it would be a propaganda coup for them.
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Delta Expatriate
Member
I think Ted Williams, with his keen eyesight, completed flight training in WWII, and later transitioned to jets for his service in the Korean conflict. I think he earned, rather than was given, an officer's commission. Ditto for Jimmy Stewart, who bacame a B-24 pilot and flew a number of bombing missions in the European theater. I think he rose to the rank of Colonel (?), and may have commanded a squadron (or something similar?). After the war, he eventually became a general in the Air Force Reserve.
Henry Fonda wound up as an officer in the Navy, and I think he may have been a gunnery officer on a battleship (?) - someone correct me if I am wrong.
I think Clark Gable may have had an officer's commission in the Army Air Force and may have flown on a few bombing missions as a gunner, before the brass got him out of the action. I think gunners were usually enlisted men, and not officers. Again, someone correct me if I am wrong.
I can think of a number of other sports figures and actors that served in combat roles in WWII, but were not actors, or had not reached the major leagues, NFL, etc., at the time of their service.
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Yes Jimmy Stewart was a Command pilot in 8th USAAF. Back in the 70's Our tool room man flew with Stewart. He told the story that one one flight he was tired so he went to sleep on the pile of parachutes in the engineering section as he was the flight engineer. They were circling to gain altitude over England.Said he was awoken by someone kicking him, he was going to go off until he saw it was Major Stewart who told him," airman get up, no one sleeps on my A/C". He said that was all Stewart said to him and he was an outstanding officer.
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Doug M.
Member
During WW II, lots of folks were drafted into specialty positions based on their skills. My Dad was, as an enlisted tech dude. 4 weeks of "Basic", then promotion to corporal; his whole unit was drafted as such. Some were drafted into officer slots based on special skills. Others served as officers by earning their rank in some traditional military fashion. Ted Williams and Jimmy Stewart are examples of this last group.
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OP
Yup it's Ted Williams, the last MLB player to hit .400 with an on base average of .468, which is still a record I believe.
He was a Navy flight instructor at Pensacola in WWII then called up from the reserves to Korea as a Marine pilot. Flew 39 combat missions in Korea, many as John Glenn's wing man. Earned three Air Medals during his tour.
The picture is at Suwon Air Base in Korea. Still an active Air Base just south of Seoul but now operated by the ROK Air Force.
He was a Navy flight instructor at Pensacola in WWII then called up from the reserves to Korea as a Marine pilot. Flew 39 combat missions in Korea, many as John Glenn's wing man. Earned three Air Medals during his tour.
The picture is at Suwon Air Base in Korea. Still an active Air Base just south of Seoul but now operated by the ROK Air Force.
