Posted on 12/18/2004 7:14:21 PM PST by Slyfox
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 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.
So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2003" have been in all of the news media lately I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (60 years ago).
Most of these brave men have since passed on.
Real Hollywood Heros
Alec Guinness (Star Wars) 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 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 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.
Ernest 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 A little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from 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
Thanks for posting....
Maybe that's why back then Hollywood had REAL men, and now they have hermaphrodite girlie-men, who seem as feminine as they are masculine--e.g., Tom Cruise, Hugh Grant, Jude Law, etc.
Audie Murphy wasn't a star who went to war. He only went into acting after the war.
wow. all Republicans, too, i'll bet:>
Whoever you are, thank you for your post.
To be fair to Hugh Grant, he sort of occupies the Cary Grant-ish "British fop" roles, but not girlie-ish ones. Now Tom Cruise...
Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), US Marine Corp Reserves 1945-46
Hollywood needs more people like this guy:
041017-N-6157F-001 Washington, D.C. (Oct. 17, 2004) – Academy Award winner and actor Ernest Borgnine shows off his new Chief Petty Officer cover at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. Borgnine was made an honorary U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Terry Scott on Oct. 15, 2004. Borgnine served in the U.S. Navy for ten years from 1935-1945 and left the service as a Gunner’s Mate 1st Class. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class Mark D. Faram (RELEASED)
Hayward is second from left back row, this is picture of team after capture of Betio.
After the film was made public, Hayward once asked Howlin Mad Smith how he liked it. He said,"Fine, but enlistments are down 5%!"
I do like Hugh Grant, but he's definitely not a manly man. He has the same physique as my 9-year-old daughter.
Cary Grant was suave, sophisticated, and debonaire, but he was also a physically imposing guy, who could deck someone if he had to.
.
A Time for more real Heroes:
http://www.WeWereSoldiers.com
http://www.lzxray.com
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set1.htm
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set2.htm
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set3.htm
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm
.
Damn good post! Nice formatting and pics, too. I didn't know about John Russell's and Donald Pleasance's roles in the war. Very impressive.
He seemed such a gentle spirit.
How about Robert Mitchum? I LOVE him. The most manly man ever to grace a movie screen!
In contrast, the Hollywood A-list chorale (led by Clooney and Roberts) responded to the 9/11 attack with a prime-time TV maudlin rendition of "America the Beautiful". Oh, what a classic Hollywood tear-jerker that was.
I read Mitchum's biography--"Baby, I Don't Care" by Lee Server (very good, btw)--and he avoided WWII service by working in plants that helped the war effort. Finally, he was drafted near the end of the war and had to do prostate exams on GIs--LOL!
I fail to see the problem.
Or sitting next to Johnny Carson.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
