WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WW II MOVIE STARS
Hope you find this as informative and interesting as I did.
In contrast to the ideals, opinions
and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors
of yester-year loved the United States.
They had both class and integrity.
With the advent of World War II many of our actors
went to fight rather than stand and
rant against this country we all love.
They gave up their wealth, position and fame to
become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men".
This page
lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals
in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars,
Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional
Medal of Honor.
Most of
these brave men have since passed on.
Real
Hollywood Heros
Alec
Guinness (Star Wars~Bridge over the River Kwai) operated a British 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 British Commandos in
Normandy.
James
Stewart Entered the Army Air Force as a private and worked his way
to the rank of Colonel. During World
War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him
with leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in
hundreds of air strikes during his tour of
duty.
Stewart
earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix
de Guerre,and 7 Battle Stars during World War
II.
In peace
time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a
reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in
the late 1950's.
Clark
Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond
the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II, Clark
Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los
Angeles. He
attended the Officers' CandidateSchool at Miami Beach, Fla. and
graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then
attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the
351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over
Europe in B-17s.
Capt.Gable
returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as
a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age
for combat.
Charlton
Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.
Earnest
Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.
Charles
Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star
and awarded the Purple Heart.
Charles
Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically 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. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific
battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov.
1943.
Brian Keith
served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the
Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.
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
valor at Guadalcanal.
Robert
Ryan was a U. S. Marine who served with the O. S. S. in
Yugoslavia.
Tyrone
Power (an established 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, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Bay City, Texas who played
cowboy parts?
Most
decorated serviceman of WWII 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 Badge with Bayonet 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, Belgian
Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.
So how
do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared
to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they
bite the hand that feeds them?
Can you
imagine these stars of yester-year saying they hate our flag,
making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and
saying they hate our president?
I
thought not, neither did I!
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enjoyed the story, please pass it on.
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