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General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:33:42 PM

Title: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:33:42 PM
Inspired by the Borgnine thread.

Some interesting stuff.

http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/actors_in_wwii.html
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Tonitrus on July 08, 2012, 10:45:09 PM
They missed Charlton Heston.  :mad:
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Syt on July 08, 2012, 10:48:58 PM
And Christopher Lee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_lee#Involvement_in_World_War_II
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:49:29 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F1%2F11%2FJackie_Coogan_as_Uncle_Fester_%2528The_Addams_Family%252C_1966%2529.jpg&hash=9caddbee9ea2b0f20ce23bb2a2498496c92b970e)
QuoteJackie Coogan enlisted in the United States Army in March 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he requested a transfer to United States Army Air Forces as a glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. After graduating from glider school, he was made a flight officer and he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group. In December 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits, under General Orde Wingate on March 5, 1944, landing them at night in a small jungle clearing 100 miles behind Japanese lines in the Burma campaign

Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Syt on July 08, 2012, 10:50:56 PM
Not to mention James "Scotty" Doohan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doohan#Military_service
QuoteAt the beginning of the Second World War, Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 13th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Doohan went to England in 1940 for training. His first combat was the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach on D-Day. Shooting two snipers, Doohan led his men to higher ground through a field of anti-tank mines, where they took defensive positions for the night. Crossing between command posts at 11:30 that night, Doohan was hit by six rounds fired from a Bren gun by a nervous Canadian sentry:[3] four in his leg, one in the chest, and one through his right middle finger. The bullet to his chest was stopped by a silver cigarette case. His right middle finger had to be amputated, something he would conceal during his career as an actor.

Doohan trained as a pilot (graduating from Air Observation Pilot Course 40 with 11 other Canadian artillery officers),[5] and flew Taylorcraft Auster Mark V aircraft for 666 (AOP) Squadron, RCAF, as a Royal Canadian Artillery officer in support of 1st Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery. All three Canadian (AOP) RCAF Squadrons were manned by Artillery Officer-pilots and accompanied by non-commissioned RCA and RCAF personnel serving as observers.

Although never actually a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Doohan was once labelled the "craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force." A story from his flying years tells of Doohan slaloming a plane – variously cited as a Hurricane or a jet trainer – between mountainside telegraph poles to prove it could be done, which earned him a serious reprimand. (The actual feat was performed in a Mark IV Auster on the Salisbury Plain north of RAF Andover in the late spring of 1945).
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:52:12 PM
Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Drafted at age 21, he was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Heart medals.[1]

Durning participated in the Normandy Invasion of France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and was among the first troops to land at Omaha Beach. Some sources state that he was with the 1st Infantry Division at the time, but it is unclear if he served as a rifleman or as a member of one of the division's artillery battalions.[citation needed]

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F1%2F19%2FCharlesDurningMay2008.jpg%2F550px-CharlesDurningMay2008.jpg&hash=e9cc3e66050ef678b9f7416d8272df669104ebd7)
QuoteCharles Durning was wounded by a German "S" Mine on June 15, 1944, at Les Mare des Mares, France. He was transported to the 24th Evacuation Hospital. By June 17 he was back in England at the 217th General Hospital. Although severely wounded by shrapnel in the left and right thighs, the right hand, the frontal region of the head, and the anterior left chest wall, Durning recovered quickly and was determined to be fit for duty on December 6, 1944. He arrived back at the front in time to take part in the Battle of the Bulge, the German counter-offensive through the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg in December 1944.[2][3]

After being wounded again, this time in the chest, Durning was repatriated to the United States. He remained in Army hospitals to receive treatment for wounds until being discharged with the rank of Private First Class on January 30, 1946.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:55:12 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F0%2F05%2FHepburn-afternoon.jpg%2F473px-Hepburn-afternoon.jpg&hash=5c87a726d75281a3400a0e1a013bf573e87c3492)

QuoteHepburn adopted the pseudonym Edda van Heemstra, a derivative of her mother's name Ella,[18] because an "English sounding" name was considered dangerous during the German occupation. In 1942, her uncle Otto van Limburg Stirum, husband of Ella's older sister Miesje, was executed in retaliation for a sabotage by the resistance movement, while her half-brother Jan was deported to Berlin to work in a German labour camp (Alex went into hiding to avoid the same fate).[19] After this, Ella, Miesje and Audrey moved in with Baron van Heemstra in nearby Velp. During her wartime struggles, Hepburn suffered from malnutrition, developed acute anæmia, respiratory problems, and œdema.[20] Hepburn, in a retrospective interview, commented, "I have memories. More than once I was at the station seeing trainloads of Jews being transported, seeing all these faces over the top of the wagon. I remember, very sharply, one little boy standing with his parents on the platform, very pale, very blond, wearing a coat that was much too big for him, and he stepped on to the train. I was a child observing a child."[21]

Notwithstanding such strife, by 1944, Hepburn had become a proficient ballerina. She had secretly danced for groups of people to collect money for the Dutch resistance. "The best audience I ever had made not a single sound at the end of my performances," she remarked.[22] After the Allied landing on D-Day, living conditions grew worse and Arnhem was subsequently devastated by Allied artillery fire under Operation Market Garden. During the Dutch famine that followed in the winter of 1944, the Germans had blocked the resupply routes of the Netherlands' already-limited food and fuel supplies as retaliation for railway strikes that were held to hinder German occupation. People starved and froze to death in the streets; Hepburn and many others resorted to making flour out of tulip bulbs to bake cakes and biscuits.[13][23] One way that Hepburn passed the time was by drawing; some of her childhood artwork can be seen today.[24] When the country was liberated, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration trucks followed.[25] Hepburn said in an interview that she fell ill from putting too much sugar in her oatmeal and eating an entire can of condensed milk.[26] Hepburn's war-time experiences sparked her devotion to UNICEF, an international humanitarian organisation, in her later career.[13][23]

Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 10:59:39 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F0%2F0f%2FRod_Serling_dictating_script_1959.jpg&hash=8e8a0d7ea6fea072a3d6bec2785bee1d4e1e62d9)

QuoteSerling marched away from the successful mission in Leyte with two wounds including one to his kneecap[23] but neither was enough to keep him from combat when General MacArthur used the paratroopers as they were intended on February 3, 1945. Colonel Haugen led the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment as it landed on Tagaytay Ridge, met up with the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment and marched into Manila. There was minimal resistance until they reached the city where Vice Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi had barricaded his 17,000 troops behind a maze of traps and guns and ordered them to fight to the death.[24] The next month witnessed Serling's unit involved in a block-by-block battle for control of Manila. As portions of the town were freed from Japanese control, the civilians showed their gratitude by throwing parties and hosting banquets. During one of these parties Serling and his comrades were fired upon and many people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed. Serling, still a Private after three years, caught the attention of Sergeant Frank Lewis when he ran into the line of fire to rescue a performer who had been on stage when the artillery started.[25] As the troops continued to move in on Iwabuchi's stronghold Serling's regiment suffered a 50 percent casualty rate, with over 400 men killed. Serling was wounded, and three of the men he was with were killed by shrapnel from rounds fired at his roving demolition team by an anti-aircraft gun.[26] He was sent to New Guinea to recover but soon chose to return to Manila to finish 'cleaning up'. Private Serling's final assignment was as part of the occupation force in Japan.[27] For his service to the U.S. Army he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star,[28] and the Philippine Liberation Medal.[4]

Serling's Army combat service affected him deeply and also influenced much of his writing. His wartime combat experiences left Serling with nightmares and flashbacks which would plague him for the rest of his life.[4] He was quoted as saying, "I was bitter about everything and at loose ends when I got out of the service. I think I turned to writing to get it off my chest."[1]

Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: jimmy olsen on July 08, 2012, 11:01:00 PM
Of all the actors who fought in WWII I've always been most impressed by Jimmy Stewart. He was the most famous of all of them and he volunteered for and served with exemplary bravery and skill in one of the most dangerous theaters of the war.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 11:02:18 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fxfinity.comcast.net%2Fblogs%2Ftv%2Ffiles%2F2009%2F11%2Fjudgewapner.jpg&hash=62f34e3351af895c117c4113b866849db35ef4d9)

QuoteWapner was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star while serving in the South Pacific in Cebu. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 11:04:32 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F8%2F88%2FLee_marvin_1971.JPG%2F468px-Lee_marvin_1971.JPG&hash=0f5cfbdf7d8efd384c86888843054e073b03f2f6)

QuoteMarvin left school to join the United States Marine Corps, serving in the 4th Marine Division.[8] He was wounded in action during the WWII Battle of Saipan, in the assault on Mount Tapochau, during which most of his company ("I" Company, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division) were killed.[9] Marvin's wound (in the buttocks) was from machine gun fire, which severed his sciatic nerve.[10] He was awarded the Purple Heart and was given a medical discharge with the rank of Private First Class.[
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 11:11:49 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fc%2Fcb%2FEddie_Albert.jpg&hash=f29fd5675976362815bd4c711610e889f93e4456)

QuotePrior to World War II, and before his film career, Albert had toured Mexico as a clown and high-wire artist with the Escalante Brothers Circus, but secretly worked for U.S. Army intelligence, photographing German U-boats in Mexican harbors.[4] On September 9, 1942, Albert enlisted in the United States Navy and was discharged in 1943 to accept an appointment as a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for his actions during the invasion of Tarawa in November 1943, when, as the pilot of a U.S. Coast Guard landing craft, he rescued 47 Marines who were stranded offshore (and supervised the rescue of 30 others), while under heavy enemy machine-gun fire.[5]

Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 08, 2012, 11:14:03 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fb%2Fbe%2FJamesArness.jpg%2F460px-JamesArness.jpg&hash=dfffaecd7a501e7ff09e37fd8ee32b860a24fada)

QuoteArness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, but he felt his poor eyesight would bar him. His height of 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) ended his hopes, since 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) was the limit for aviators. Instead, he was called for the Army and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota in March 1943.[6] Arness served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at Anzio, Italy.[8]

According to James Arness – An Autobiography, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944 as a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Because of his height, he was the first ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist.[6]

On January 29, 1945, having undergone surgery several times, Arness was honorably discharged. His wounds continued to bother him, and in later years Arness suffered from chronic leg pain,[2] which sometimes hurt when mounting a horse. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart,[2] the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.[9]

Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 12:29:15 AM
Do actors who had Hollywood careers before the war, served in it and then came back count, like Henry Fonda?
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:18:23 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 12:29:15 AM
Do actors who had Hollywood careers before the war, served in it and then came back count, like Henry Fonda?

He served in WW2 didnt he.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:21:04 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F9%2F93%2FHenry_Fonda_in_The_Lady_Eve_trailer.JPG&hash=4fd0ab8ad57aae237d16807fe7c35f036f49c634)

QuoteFonda enlisted in the Navy to fight in World War II, saying, "I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio."[20] Previously, he and Stewart had helped raise funds for the defense of Britain.[21] Fonda served for three years, initially as a Quartermaster 3rd Class on the destroyer USS Satterlee. He was later commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Central Pacific and was awarded the Navy Presidential Unit Citation and the Bronze Star.[22]
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:26:31 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F3%2F30%2FDonAdams.jpg&hash=5bc6af037732248d805d9df7019ae05edced47fe)
QuoteDropping out of New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School, Adams worked as a theater usher.[4] He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1941 together with his twin-brother cousins, William and Robert Karvelas.[1] The three were assigned to the Third Marines in Samoa until Adams was sent as a replacement to the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he was the only survivor of his platoon.[5] His survival, despite his company's near 90% fatality rate, was due to his contracting blackwater fever early in the campaign. He was evacuated to New Zealand and spent over a year there, in a Navy hospital in Wellington.[1][6] After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the United States.[7][8]
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:31:48 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commonsensejunction.com%2Fxtras%2Fwwii-movie-stars%2Fneville-brand.jpg&hash=a365824f8078ce9dc897187afbb5c99cb36e5805)

QuoteNeville Brand (1920-1992) joined the US Army in 1939, meaning to make a career in the military. According to official military records, Brand was the recipient of the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. His other awards and decorations are the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the European/ African/ Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:45:59 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commonsensejunction.com%2Fxtras%2Fwwii-movie-stars%2Frussell-johnson.jpg&hash=5591bdc5eed50539240466ceb2c7f55df521795d)

QuoteRussell Johnson (1924- ) [The Professor on Gilligan's Island]. Earned a Purple Heart for injuries during battle when his B-24 Liberator bomber was shot down during a bombing run against Japanese targets in the Philippine Islands in March 1945.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 02:00:08 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F7%2F7c%2FCarter01.JPG&hash=c4139300bccb9d838243a2817756846980ef7bed)

QuoteWhile serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he distinguished himself by taking part in 14 assault landings, including Leyte, Luzon, Bataan and Corregidor.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 02:10:55 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-ec6.pinterest.com%2Fupload%2F28288303879593249_5k18M0Y1_f.jpg&hash=d8937351a2d3150af474bfcc7c5609e0f28653a4)

QuoteEfrem Zimbalist, Jr. (1918- ) USA WW II. In uniform five years serving in the European Theater and earned a Purple Heart at Huertgen Forest where he was wounded in the left thigh by a shall fragment while leading an infantry platoon during an attack on Germany's Siegfried Line.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: jimmy olsen on July 09, 2012, 02:42:29 AM
James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997)

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fe%2Fe8%2FAnnex_-_Stewart%252C_James_%2528Call_Northside_777%2529_01.jpg%2F518px-Annex_-_Stewart%252C_James_%2528Call_Northside_777%2529_01.jpg&hash=9250714e20defa6891176ad7b12066f14056f38e)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart#Military_service
QuoteIn October 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 of 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 Air Corps, but still came in under the weight requirement, although he persuaded the enlistment officer to run new tests, this time passing the weigh-in,[29][N 1] with the result that Stewart enlisted and was inducted in the Army on March 22, 1941. He became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II.[30]

Stewart enlisted as a private[6][31] but as both a college graduate and a licensed commercial pilot applied for an Air Corps commission and pilot rating. Soon to be 33, he was almost six years beyond the maximum age restriction for aviation cadet training, the normal path of commissioning for pilots. Stewart received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 19, 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, while a corporal at Moffett Field, California. He also received a pilot rating, although the circumstances are unclear, since he did not participate in the standard pilot training program.[N 2] Stewart's first assignment was an appearance at a March of Dimes rally in Washington, D.C., but Stewart desired assignment to an operational unit rather than serve as a recruiting symbol. He applied for and was granted advanced training in multi-engine aircraft. Stewart was posted to nearby Mather Field to instruct in both single- and twin-engine aircraft.[32] [31]

Public appearances by Stewart were limited engagements scheduled by the Army Air Forces. "Stewart appeared several times on network radio with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he performed with Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Walter Huston and Lionel Barrymore in an all-network radio program called We Hold These Truths, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights."[33] In early 1942, Stewart was asked to appear in a film to help recruit the anticipated 100,000 airmen that the USAAF would need to win the war. The USAAF's First Motion Picture Unit shot scenes of Lieutenant Stewart in his pilot's flight jacket and recorded his voice for narration. The short propaganda film, Winning Your Wings, appeared nationwide beginning in late May and was very successful, resulting in 150,000 new recruits.[34][35]

Stewart was concerned that his expertise and celebrity status would relegate him to instructor duties "behind the lines."[36] His fears were confirmed when after his promotion to first lieutenant on July 7, 1942,[37] he was stationed from August to December 1942 at Kirtland Army Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, piloting AT-ll Kansans used in training bombardiers. He was transferred to Hobbs Army Airfield, New Mexico, for three months of transition training in the four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress, then sent to the Combat Crew Processing Center in Salt Lake City, where he expected to be assigned to a combat unit. Instead he was assigned in early 1943 to an operational training unit, the 29th Bombardment Group at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, as an instructor.[31] He was promoted to captain on July 9, 1943,[37] and appointed a squadron commander.[32] For Stewart, now 35, combat duty seemed far away and unreachable and he had no clear plans for the future. However, a rumor that Stewart would be taken off flying status and assigned to making training films or selling bonds called for immediate action, because what he dreaded most was "the hope-shattering spectre of a dead end."[38] Stewart appealed to his commander, 30-year-old Lt. Col. Walter E. Arnold Jr., who understood his situation and recommended Stewart to the commander of the 445th Bombardment Group, a B-24 Liberator unit that had just completed initial training at Gowen Field and gone on to final training at Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa.[39][N 3]
WW2 fighter pilot in 1943

In August 1943, Stewart was assigned to the 445th Bomb Group as operations officer of the 703d Bombardment Squadron, but after three weeks became its commander. On October 12, 1943, judged ready for overseas movement, the 445th Bomb Group staged to Lincoln Army Airfield, Nebraska. Flying individually, the aircraft first flew to Morrison Army Airfield, Florida, and then on the circuitous Southern Route along the coasts of South America and Africa to RAF Tibenham, Norfolk, England. After several weeks of training missions, in which Stewart flew with most of his combat crews, the group flew its first combat mission on December 13, 1943, to bomb the U-boat facilities at Kiel, Germany, followed three days later by a mission to Bremen. Stewart led the high squadron of the group formation on the first mission, and the entire group on the second.[41] Following a mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany, on January 7, 1944, Stewart was promoted to major.[41][N 4] Stewart was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions as deputy commander of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing on the first day of "Big Week" operations in February and flew two other missions that week.[43]

On March 22, 1944, Stewart flew his 12th combat mission, leading the 2nd Bomb Wing in an attack on Berlin. On March 30, 1944, he was sent to RAF Old Buckenham to become group operations officer of the 453rd Bombardment Group, a new B-24 unit that had just lost both its commander and operations officer on missions.[44] As a means to inspire the unit, Stewart flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on several missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. As a staff officer, Stewart was assigned to the 453rd "for the duration" and thus not subject to a quota of missions of a combat tour. He nevertheless assigned himself as a combat crewman on the group's missions until his promotion to lieutenant colonel on June 3[37] and reassignment on July 1, 1944, to the 2nd Bomb Wing, assigned as executive officer to Brigadier General Edward J. Timberlake. His official tally of mission credits while assigned to the 445th and 453rd Bomb Groups totaled 20 sorties.

Stewart continued to make missions, uncredited, flying with the pathfinder squadron of the 389th Bombardment Group, with his two former groups, and with groups of the 20th Combat Bomb Wing.[45] He received a second award of 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. Stewart served in a number of staff positions in the 2nd and 20th Bomb Wings between July 1944 and the end of the war in Europe, and was promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945.[37][46] On May 10, 1945, he succeeded to command of the 2nd Bomb Wing, a position he held until June 15.[47] Stewart was one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.[6][31]

At the beginning of June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the court-martial of a pilot and navigator who were charged with dereliction of duty for having accidentally bombed the Swiss city of Zurich the previous March – the first instance of U.S. personnel being tried for an attack on a neutral country. The Court acquitted the defendants.[48]

Stewart continued to play a role in the United States Air Force Reserve after the war, reaching the rank of Brigadier General on July 23, 1959.[37][49] He was also one of the 12 founders and a charter member of the Air Force Association in October 1945. Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service but did appear in January 1974 in an episode of the TV series The World At War, "Whirlwind: Bombing Germany (September 1939 – April 1944)", commenting on the disastrous mission of October 14, 1943, against Schweinfurt, Germany. At his request, he was identified only as "James Stewart, Squadron Commander" in the documentary.[50]

Stewart received permanent promotion to colonel in 1953 and served as Air Force Reserve commander of Dobbins Air Reserve Base. In 1966, Brigadier General James Stewart flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission during the Vietnam War. At the time of his B-52 flight, he refused the release of any publicity regarding his participation, as he did not want it treated as a stunt, but as part of his job as an officer in the Air Force Reserve. After 27 years of service, Stewart retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968.[51] He was promoted to major general on the retired list by President Ronald Reagan.[52
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 03:56:08 AM
Quote from: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 01:18:23 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 12:29:15 AM
Do actors who had Hollywood careers before the war, served in it and then came back count, like Henry Fonda?

He served in WW2 didnt he.

Yeah, but he was a bit older, which is why I asked.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Viking on July 09, 2012, 06:27:13 AM
Not in the website, but for true Nerd Candy. Hedy Lamarr.

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fd%2Fde%2FHedy_Lamarr-Algiers-38.JPG%2F462px-Hedy_Lamarr-Algiers-38.JPG&hash=8153e96e756153dd0c51149deb1c95f1dafc686e)

QuoteFrequency-hopping spread-spectrum invention

Avant garde composer George Antheil, a son of German immigrants and neighbor of Lamarr, had experimented with automated control of musical instruments, including his music for Ballet Mécanique, originally written for Fernand Léger's 1924 abstract film. This score involved multiple player pianos playing simultaneously.
Lamarr took her idea to Antheil and together, Antheil and Lamarr submitted the idea of a secret communication system in June 1941. On August 11, 1942, US Patent 2,292,387 was granted to Antheil and "Hedy Kiesler Markey", Lamarr's married name at the time. This early version of frequency hopping used a piano roll to change between 88 frequencies and was intended to make radio-guided torpedoes harder for enemies to detect or jam. Although a presentation of the technique was soon made to the U.S. Navy, it met with opposition and was not adopted.[5]
The idea was not implemented in the USA until 1962, when it was used by U.S. military ships during a blockade of Cuba after the patent had expired. Perhaps owing to this lag in development, the patent was little-known until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave Lamarr an award for this contribution.[1] It is reported that, in 1998, Ottawa wireless technology developer Wi-LAN, Inc. "acquired a 49 percent claim to the patent from Lamarr for an undisclosed amount of stock" (Eliza Schmidkunz, Inside GNSS),[6] although expired patents have no economic value. Antheil had died in 1959.
Lamarr's and Antheil's frequency-hopping idea serves as a basis for modern spread-spectrum communication technology, such as Bluetooth, COFDM used in Wi-Fi network connections, and CDMA used in some cordless and wireless telephones.[7] Blackwell, Martin, and Vernam's 1920 patent Secrecy Communication System (1598673) seems to lay the communications groundwork for Kiesler and Antheil's patent, which employed the techniques in the autonomous control of torpedoes.
Lamarr wanted to join the National Inventors Council, but was reportedly told by NIC member Charles F. Kettering and others that she could better help the war effort by using her celebrity status to sell War Bonds. She once raised $7,000,000 at just one event.[citation needed]
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: CountDeMoney on July 09, 2012, 06:56:41 AM
It's Hedley, you provincial putz.


A most excellent thread, 11Bravo. 

Never knew the back story of Rod Serling, or Jackie Coogan for that matter.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 08:15:22 AM
The 1950's and 1960's must have been a strange time.  Nearly every young and middle age man would have had a shared experience of the war.  While most people didn't beat their chest about it, they probably shunned those who did not.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: merithyn on July 09, 2012, 09:40:56 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 09, 2012, 02:42:29 AM
James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997)

The true love of my life. :wub:
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: 11B4V on July 09, 2012, 11:32:34 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 09, 2012, 06:56:41 AM
It's Hedley, you provincial putz.


A most excellent thread, 11Bravo. 

Never knew the back story of Rod Serling, or Jackie Coogan for that matter.

I was surprised by their stories too.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: mongers on July 09, 2012, 02:29:00 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 08:15:22 AM
The 1950's and 1960's must have been a strange time.  Nearly every young and middle age man would have had a shared experience of the war.  While most people didn't beat their chest about it, they probably shunned those who did not.

I'd guess a lot of our older male teachers at school would have been in this situation; my school physics teacher, 'Beaky' Anderson was a fomer Lancaster bomber pilot.  :bowler:
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: derspiess on July 09, 2012, 03:34:28 PM
Quote from: mongers on July 09, 2012, 02:29:00 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 09, 2012, 08:15:22 AM
The 1950's and 1960's must have been a strange time.  Nearly every young and middle age man would have had a shared experience of the war.  While most people didn't beat their chest about it, they probably shunned those who did not.

I'd guess a lot of our older male teachers at school would have been in this situation; my school physics teacher, 'Beaky' Anderson was a fomer Lancaster bomber pilot.  :bowler:

IIRC, I only had one male teacher that had served in any war, and he had been a medic in Vietnam.  Hell of a teacher and a really nice guy, but you could tell the war screwed him up.  I had several ex-hippies as teachers, though  :glare:
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Valmy on July 09, 2012, 03:38:38 PM
Quote from: derspiess on July 09, 2012, 03:34:28 PM
IIRC, I only had one male teacher that had served in any war, and he had been a medic in Vietnam.  Hell of a teacher and a really nice guy, but you could tell the war screwed him up.  I had several ex-hippies as teachers, though  :glare:

Everybody kept telling those hippies to get a job.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: Caliga on July 10, 2012, 06:47:44 AM
Also becoming a teacher at that time was a good way to avoid being drafted. :)
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: KRonn on July 10, 2012, 12:37:16 PM
Good thread. There are some amazing and courageous stories here.
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: derspiess on July 10, 2012, 02:20:17 PM
Quote from: Caliga on July 10, 2012, 06:47:44 AM
Also becoming a teacher at that time was a good way to avoid being drafted. :)

I think some of them stayed and got their Masters degrees just to continue getting their deferment. 
Title: Re: The greatest generation (Actors & WW2)
Post by: dps on July 10, 2012, 04:45:53 PM
Quote from: Caliga on July 10, 2012, 06:47:44 AM
Also becoming a teacher at that time was a good way to avoid being drafted. :)

We had one teacher at our high school who told his students that the only reason he went to college was to avoid the draft, and the only reason he majored in education was that he figured it was the only major he could take and not flunk out.