WORLD WAR 2 MOVIE STARS Just in case you thought all movie stars live(d) in a world of glitz and glamour !! You probably have to have a few years under your belt to really appreciate this message. WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated a Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day. James Doohan (Scotty on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with the U S. army on D-Day. Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R.A.F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans. David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and Lt. Colonel of the Commandos in Normandy. James Stewart entered the Army Air Force as a Private and worked his way up to Colonel. He served as a bomber pilot, leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in hundreds of air strikes. Stewart earned the U.S.Air Medal, the UKs Distinguished Flying Cross, Frances Croix de Guerre, and 7 Battle Stars. In peace time, Stewart continued as an active reservist and reached the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s. Clark Gable (mega-movie star when war broke out, eg. Gone With The Wind). Although he was beyond draft age, he enlisted as a Private in the U.S.A.F. in Aug. 1942, attended the Officers Candidate School and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943. He was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where he flew missions over Europe in B-17s. Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and retired from active duty as a major in June 1944, being over-age for combat. Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak. Ernest Borgnine was a U. S.Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945. Charles Bronson was a tail gunner on B-29s in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian and Saipan George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. marine. Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Navy officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle of Tarawain in the Pacific in Nov. 1943. Lee Marvin was a U.S. marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded, earning the Purple Heart. John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valour at Guadalcanal. Robert Ryan was a U. S. marine who served with the O.S.S. in Yugoslavia . Tyrone Power (already a movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Audie Murphy, only 55 and 110 pounds, played cowboy parts. Most decorated serviceman of WW 2 and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with V, 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France), World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert with Bayonet Badge and Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France and Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm. (Acted in his own story – To Hell and Back) WOW ! If you enjoyed this bit of history, please share it.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 10:19:35 +0000
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