World-war-II-stars

MOVIE STARS?

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WW II MOVIE STARS?

In contrast to the ideals, opinions

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,
Distinguished Service Cross', Purple Hearts
and one Congressional Medal of Honor.

So remember; while the 'Entertainers of 2005' have been in all of
the news media lately I would like to remind the people of what the
entertainers of 1943 were doing, (61 years ago).

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

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 Wat 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 1950s.

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 Army Air
Force 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 he 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.

Alec Guinness (Star
Wars) operated
a British Royal Navy
landing craft on D-Day.

Ernest Borgnine was a
U. S.
Navy Gunners Mate,
1935-1945.

Charlton Heston was an
Army
Air Corps Sergeant in
Kodiak, Alaska.

Charles Bronson was a
tail gunner
in the Army Air Corps,
more
specifically on B-29's in
the 20th
Air Force out of Guam,
Tinian, and Saipan.

Charles Durning was a
U. S.
Army Ranger at
Normandy
earning a Silver Star and
awarded the Purple Heart.

Brian Keith served as a
U.S. Marine rear gunner
in several actions against
the Japanese on Rabal in
the Pacific.

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.

George C. Scott was
a decorated U. S. Marine.

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.

Lee Marvin was a U.S.
Marine on Saipan during
the Marianas campaign
when he was
wounded, earning the
Purple Heart.

Robert Ryan was a U. S.
Marine
who served with the O. S.
S. in Yugoslavia.

Audie Murphy, a little 5'5' tall 110 pound
guy from Texas who played cowboy parts:
The 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.

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.

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Gone Not Forgotten