Friday, January 10, 2014

We Were Men

From greenman, thanks for this:



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.

Harry Dean Stanton, US Navy. Battle of Okinawa.

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, 1938-1942, then US Army, 1942-1945. 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.

Cark 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 seventy years ago. And I, for one, am saddened.




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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

This list is a monument in it's own right. Yes, Hollywood was a different place then. How did we come to this place?

Anonymous said...

Well if you are seeking an answer you can start with the 1960's...which I LOATHE.

Walt Boyne said...

The start was acceptance of marijuana as a "recreational drug" instead of an addictive substance that destroys body and soul. Now we have entire states opting for it.

Wraith said...

Funny thing--these "gangstas" who think they're so badass, sure ain't lining up to be signing up...

hiswiserangel said...

Blaming marijuana is too simplistic. The problem was education turned to building egos instead of character, families were degraded, life was devalued. Had more to do with the Liberal agenda than marijuana use. I happen to know pot was available and used by the Greatest Generation. As well as copious amounts of liquor. And I know quite a few people who have smoked marijuana and led productive lives

RabidAlien said...

I had someone question the addition of Ceasar Romero on this list, since he "was only in the Coast Guard". I had to point out that not only did the Coast Guard drive off and sink one or two German U-boats on the east coast (some say Navy did it, some say CG...who cares, CG was out there in the schiz.), but nearly every driver of a landing craft... those wallowing plywood boxes that maneuvered like a pregnant hippo and had to run in straight, predictable lines....nearly every one of those drivers was a Coastie. And those that made it to the beaches to unload their cargo, usually stuck around long enough to pick up wounded on their way back. That, my friends, takes balls. Solid titanium.

And lets not forget those who couldn't make it into the military for whatever reason, and elected to go over and entertain troops. I can respect that.

golden geese news said...

That's an excellet post there. I'm gonna save it and run it next veteran's day.

craig m. said...

I remember Riddick Bowe, the famous boxer who tried to enlist in the Marines, but washed out after nine days because he couldn't take it.

Spud said...

Yet many admire Ted Nugent....?
Oh yea, too busy washing his shitty pants....
While I volunteered during that same period and fought for my country !

No , I shall never respect the Nuge.
Just being a gun nut does not make one a patriot. Patriots serve their country then get out to reap the rewards of our great country.

Larry said...

USCG becomes an auxiliary of the USN during wartime. There were Coasties manning minesweepers in the Gulf. As far as I know they are still there.

tsquared said...

The modern day bad-ass Chuck Norris was in the Air Force...

I am not sure of others who have served.

Seneca III said...

Same over this side of the pond - the one that springs immediately to mind is David Niven who left Hollywood, returned to the UK, re-enlisted (he had served in the Army prior to his acting career)and spent the war in a long range recce unit. FYI.

Anonymous said...

Walt, Not only did almost all of these men smoke pot and tobacco, They also dropped Acid in the 40s-50s and 60s when it was still legal. The war on dugs was invented as a control device by anti-freedom Nazi oriented(He LOVED Hitler and Stalin) trash like J.Edger Hoover.(along with MANY others like him) "The war on drugs" was no more or less than a device to rid the government of all those pesky "rights" the "white trash" believed in. Everything we deal with today Indefinate Detention , warentless spying , No Knock raids, SWAT teams, Military law enforcement, check points, random forced drug testing, drug gangs,(YES The US Military CREATED the "drug gangs" to fight the "commies") gun laws, servailance cameras, bank laws , asset forfeiture . were ALL created and passed by the US Congress(Mostly Republican) AS ANTI- DRUG LAWS-- "Papa Doc" Obama has been using EXSISTING LAW to do EVERYTHING . Laws that were DEMANDED by the "moral majority" to "hammer the hippies"(Nancy Reagan). So enjoy your servitude you "conservative Christians" you not only supported it-YOU DEMANDED IT.---Ray

Anonymous said...

My dad flew with Ed McMahon in Korea as an artillery observer. Said that Ed was a wonderful pilot, especially when it mattered (i.e. when they were getting shot at).

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why a libertarian would seemingly promote participation in continual foreign misadventure.

Care to elaborate?

itor

hiswiserangel said...

I love that you guys get so caught up in minutiae that you miss the big picture. It's not for whom they fought or where they fought, or even why they fought. It's that they were willing to put something bigger than themselves first; they were willing to walk away and possibly sacrifice life, fame and fortune for something they believed was right.

Whether or not you believe in the justness of that fight, you have to admit that the self-absorbed me first mamby pamby twatwaffles of today would have never done the same. Not in any of our modern wars and definitely not in the Revolution (or do you take exception with that one too?). You will never hear a modern day Hollywood "star" pledge his life, fortune and sacred honor to battle tyrrany. At least not without asking "what's in it for me?" That was the point.

Anonymous said...

The big picture is continual foreign misadventure. Note that Rev1 occurred here. Big difference.

Spurred on by jingo, chant & "patriotic" slogans to support Stalin; fighting "tyranny" abroad had the curious & unmistakable result of making a nation safe for tyranny here.

Again. And again. Gen. Smedley Butler & others eventually realized this. Foreign wars are utterly foolish, and a shameful waste of life.

Didn't raise my kids to be cannon fodder.

Time to recognize the horrendous mistakes of the past, and learn.

hiswiserangel said...

And again, I reiterate, these self-absorbed twatwaffles would not lift a finger to fight against tyranny on this soil for any reason against any enemy foreign or domestic. It's NOT about who fought in what war, where and for what. It's about self-sacrifice, honor and bravery. Which is in very short supply in this nation in general and Hollywood in particular.

Old Dog said...

If you are going to include Pat Tillman, what about Ted Williams...from Wikipedia...
In 1941, just his third season, he posted a .406 batting average, making him the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. Williams interrupted his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the US Navy and Marine Corps for World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award and played in his only World Series. The following season, he won his second Triple Crown. Williams returned to active military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons in the Korean War, in which he served as a Marine aviator. In 1957 and 1958, at the ages of 39 and 40 respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth times.

Imagine a career without two interruptions for military service...thanks for listening.