A little credit where a lot of credit has been overlooked-

[Bad Water Bill]

A friend just sent this list and it includes many folks I never heard mentioned before.

All of these folks put their careers on hold to keep us free.

Yes it was a GREAT GENERATION.

Stewart Hayden, US Marines and OSS. Smuggled guns into Yugoslavia and parachuted into Croatia.

James Stewart, US Army Air Corps. Bomber pilot who rose to the rank of General.

Ernest Borgnine, US Navy. Gunners Mate 1c, destroyer USS Lamberton.

Ed McMahon, US Marines. Fighter Pilot. (Flew OE-1 Bird Dogs over Korea as well.)

Telly Savalas, US Army.

Walter Matthau, US Army Air Corps., B-24 Radioman/Gunner and cryptographer.

Steve Forrest, US Army. Wounded, Battle of the Bulge.

Jonathan Winters, USMC. Battleship USS Wisconsin and Carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Anti-aircraft gunner, Battle of Okinawa.

Paul Newman, US Navy Rear seat gunner/radioman, torpedo bombers of USS Bunker Hill

Kirk Douglas, US Navy. Sub-chaser in the Pacific. Wounded in action and medically discharged.

Robert Mitchum, US Army.

Dale Robertson, US Army. Tank Commander in North Africa under Patton. Wounded twice. Battlefield Commission.

Henry Fonda, US Navy. Destroyer USS Satterlee.

John Carroll, US Army Air Corps. Pilot in North Africa. Broke his back in a crash.

Lee Marvin US Marines. Sniper. Wounded in action on Saipan. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Sec. 7A next to Greg Boyington and Joe Louis.

Art Carney, US Army. Wounded on Normandy beach, D-Day. Limped for the rest of his life.

Wayne Morris, US Navy fighter pilot, USS Essex. Downed seven Japanese fighters.

Rod Steiger, US Navy. Was aboard one of the ships that launched the Doolittle Raid.

Tony Curtis, US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus. In Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan.

Larry Storch. US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus with Tony Curtis.

Forrest Tucker, US Army. Enlisted as a private, rose to Lieutenant.

Robert Montgomery, US Navy.

George Kennedy, US Army. Enlisted after Pearl Harbor, stayed in sixteen years.

Mickey Rooney, US Army under Patton. Bronze Star.

Denver Pyle, US Navy. Wounded in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Medically discharged.

Burgess Meredith, US Army Air Corps.

DeForest Kelley, US Army Air Corps.

Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Officer.

Neville Brand, US Army, Europe. Was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Tyrone Power, US Marines. Transport pilot in the Pacific Theater.

Charlton Heston, US Army Air Corps. Radio operator and aerial gunner on a B-25, Aleutians.

Danny Aiello, US Army. Lied about his age to enlist at 16. Served three years.

James Arness, US Army. As an infantryman, he was severely wounded at Anzio, Italy.

Efram Zimbalist, Jr., US Army. Purple Heart for a severe wound received at Huertgen Forest.

Mickey Spillane, US Army Air Corps, Fighter Pilot and later Instructor Pilot.

Rod Serling. US Army. 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific. He jumped at Tagaytay in the Philippines and was later wounded in Manila.

Gene Autry, US Army Air Corps. Crewman on transports that ferried supplies over "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India Theater.

Wiliam Holden, US Army Air Corps.

Alan Hale Jr, US Coast Guard.

Russell Johnson, US Army Air Corps. B-24 crewman who was awarded Purple Heart when his aircraft was shot down by the Japanese in the Philippines.

William Conrad, US Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot.

Jack Klugman, US Army.

Frank Sutton, US Army. Took part in 14 assault landings, including Leyte, Luzon, Bataan and Corregidor.

Jackie Coogan, US Army Air Corps. Volunteered for gliders and flew troops and materials into Burma behind enemy lines.

Tom Bosley, US Navy.

Claude Akins, US Army. Signal Corps., Burma and the Philippines.

Chuck Connors, US Army. Tank-warfare instructor.

Harry Carey Jr., US Navy.

Mel Brooks, US Army. Combat Engineer. Saw action in the Battle of the Bulge.

Robert Altman, US Army Air Corps. B-24 Co-Pilot.

Pat Hingle, US Navy. Destroyer USS Marshall

Fred Gwynne, US Navy. Radioman.

Karl Malden, US Army Air Corps. 8th Air Force, NCO.

Earl Holliman. US Navy. Lied about his age to enlist. Discharged after a year when they Navy found out.

Rock Hudson, US Navy. Aircraft mechanic, the Philippines.

Harvey Korman, US Navy.

Aldo Ray. US Navy. UDT frogman, Okinawa.

Don Knotts, US Army, Pacific Theater.

Don Rickles, US Navy aboard USS Cyrene.

Harry Dean Stanton, US Navy. Served aboard an LST in the Battle of Okinawa.

Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Instructor.

Soupy Sales, US Navy. Served on USS Randall in the South Pacific.

Lee Van Cleef, US Navy. Served aboard a sub chaser then a mine sweeper.

Clifton James, US Army, South Pacific. Was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.

Ted Knight, US Army, Combat Engineers.

Jack Warden, US Navy, 1 938-1942, then US Army, 1 942-1945. 101st Airborne Division.

Don Adams. US Marines. Wounded on Guadalcanal, then served as a Drill Instructor.

James Gregory, US Navy and US Marines.

Brian Keith, US Marines. Radioman/Gunner in Dauntless dive-bombers.

Fess Parker, US Navy and US Marines. Booted from pilot training for being too tall, joined Marines as a radio operator.

Charles Durning. US Army. Landed at Normandy on D-Day. Shot multiple times. Awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Survived Malmedy Massacre.

Raymond Burr, US Navy. Shot in the stomach on Okinawa and medically discharged.

Hugh O'Brian, US Marines.

Robert Ryan, US Marines.

Eddie Albert, US Coast Guard. Bronze Star with Combat V for saving several Marines under heavy fire as pilot of a landing craft during the invasion of Tarawa.

Clark Gable, US Army Air Corps. B-17 gunner over Europe.

Charles Bronson, US Army Air Corps. B-29 gunner, wounded in action.

Peter Graves, US Army Air Corps.

Buddy Hackett, US Army anti-aircraft gunner.

Victor Mature, US Coast Guard.

Jack Palance, US Army Air Corps. Severely injured bailing out of a burning B-24 bomber.

Robert Preston, US Army Air Corps. Intelligence Officer

Cesar Romero, US Coast Guard. Coast Guard. Participated in the invasions of Tinian and Saipan on the assault transport USS Cavalier.

Norman Fell, US Army Air Corps., Tail Gunner, Pacific Theater.

Jason Robards, US Navy. was aboard heavy cruiser USS Northampton when it was sunk off Guadalcanal. Also served on the USS Nashville during the invasion of the Philippines, surviving a kamikaze hit that caused 223 casualties.

Steve Reeves, US Army, Philippines.

Dennis Weaver, US Navy. Pilot.

Robert Taylor, US Navy. Instructor Pilot.


Randolph Scott. Tried to enlist in the Marines but was rejected due to injuries sustained in US Army, World War 1.


Ronald Reagan. US Army. Was a 2nd Lt. in the Cavalry Reserves before the war. His poor eyesight kept him from being sent overseas with his unit when war came so he transferred to the Army Air Corps Public Relations Unit where he served for the duration.

John Wayne. Declared "4F medically unfit" due to pre-existing injuries, he nonetheless attempted to volunteer three times (Army, Navy and Film Corps.) so he gets honorable mention.

And of course we have Audie Murphy, America's most-decorated soldier, who became a Hollywood star as a result of his US Army service that included his being awarded the Medal of Honor.


Would someone please remind me again how many of today's Hollywood elite put their careers on hold to enlist in Iraq or Afghanistan?

The only one who even comes close was Pat Tillman, who turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the US Army after September, 11, 2001 and serve as a Ranger in Afghanistan, where he died in 2004. But rather than being lauded for his choice and his decision to put his country before his career, he was mocked and derided by many of his peers and the Left.


Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you that this is not the America today that it was many years ago. And I, for one, am saddened.

[Dean D.]

I have to agree with you Bill.

I was surprised to see that Jason Robards served on the USS Nashville at the same time as one of my Dad's older brothers.

Truly great citizens who stepped up when called. No "instant gratification" or "What's in it for me?" attitudes.

[Bzcraig]

There has indeed been a "changing of the guard," and not a good change.

[Bad Water Bill]

There was also a young man that served on a torpedo bomber and went swimming 2 times in the pacific.

Check out the name and see his military record as well.

George Herbert Walker Bush.

[uscra112]

Man, I would have loved to have been in a unit with Jonathan Winters. Nobody would have ever stopped laughing no matter what SNAFU was the order of the day!

And while it's not Hollywood, I want to put in a good word for Ted Williams, probably the greatest hitter of all time, except that he took time off at the peak of his career to fly Corsairs in WW2 and again in Korea.

[enfield]

I think Peter Graves and James Arness are brothers if I'm not mistaken.

[shooterg]

I was gonna mention Ted Williams, y'all beat me to it. Five years worth lost to the best hitter to ever pick up a bat, don't think he ever complained about it.
Not many like him and Tillman in this age.

[Garyshome]

Well how many of todays Hollywood stars could say anything like that?

[RED333]

Great post Bill, I have copied it to my local state forum.

[Bad Water Bill]

How many Hollywood clowns could possibly pass a military questionnaire for enlistment?

How many politicians UNDER the age of 60 have signed the big check?

[wv109323]

I don't think any generation had the patriotism that the WW2 generation had. Could you even imagine someone like Big Ears signing up in a national disaster like Pearl Harbor. America has sure changed over the last 70 years.

[smoked turkey]

Bill thanks for posting and listing the names of the great generation. They were truly first class Americans and boy do we need men and women today like those mentioned. I think a lot of the problem is the ones calling the shots today have never been in uniform. They are attempting to lead us militarily without the wisdom gained from being there and doing that.

[HarryT]

Johnny Cash and Chuck Norris were in the Air Force, Elvis was in the Army, Bob Keeshan (Capt Kangaroo) was in the Marines... lots of people left out.

[GaryN]

Thanks for posting that Bill. I was very interested to read about the people on the list. I had no idea. I knew some of them that had served but not all of those.

[Bad Water Bill]

Johnny Cash and Chuck Norris were in the Air Force, Elvis was in the Army, Bob Keeshan (Capt Kangaroo) was in the Marines... lots of people left out.

HarryT

My list is for the folks that actually served during WW2.

I am sure there were many more that answered the call and went into harms way.

Cast Boolits has a loooong list folks that also have stepped up but were not in WW2.

[MtGun44]

Great post, I was aware of many of them, but a lot were new to me.

Some are amazing, given their later characters. Like Bill
Conrad -- "Cannon" as a fighter pilot. Some
folks gain a bit as the years roll by.

All have earned our respect, unlike the majority in Hollyweird today,
most have earned our derision for being worthless skunks.

Bill

[MaryB]

Current hollyweird actors are to busy making movies against the USA and the constitution to actually do something for the country.

[Lloyd Smale]

good post bill. Hard to find someone to help an old lady accross the road anymore let alone put there life on the line.

[w5pv]

Some of our heroes are spinning around in their graves over what some of their children/grandkids are are saying and doing.God bless their souls.

[472x1B/A]

There has indeed been a "changing of the guard," and not a good change.

WOW! You could not have said it any better Bz. Thank you.