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He decided that religion was illogical, and when he joined the Marines, under "religion" he wrote "none". He was infected with malaria during the battle of Guadalcanal, and was not expected to live, but he told the nursing staff, "I'm not going anyplace." He has said that this is when he returned to the Catholic faith, as he prayed to survive. Yeary remained too ill to return to fighting before the end of the war.

Military Bio: Walter Matthau Born Walter Matuschanskavasky in New York City on October 10, 1920, died July 2, 2000 . Matthau grew up in New York's Lower East Side, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in April 1942. After basic training, he was trained at the Army Air Force radio school at Savannah, Georgia, as a radio operator and gunner. (All flight crewmembers were required to take gunnery training.) After training, he was assigned to the 453rd Bomb Group and went overseas to RAF station 144, Old Buckenham, near Attleborough, England as part of...

Doohan did so well he became a Commissioned Lieutenant with the 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. In 1940, he was sent to England for further training. Fast forward to D-Day – the Allied Invasion of France on June 6, 1944. The British, Americans and Canadians were each assigned a portion of France’s Normandy beaches.

Dan Blocker, aka”Hoss,” was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. He had basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Dan Davis Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran. He is best remembered for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza. Hoss served as an infantry sergeant in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in Korea, December 1951 to August 1952

James Arness, a World War II veteran beloved by millions for his iconic portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running Western TV series “Gunsmoke,” died June 3 after a long illness. At 6 foot 7 inches, Arness was, quite literally, a big star, towering over even the likes of his good friend and Hollywood mentor John Wayne. But it was that same impressive height that prevented Arness from fulfilling his dream of being a naval aviator in World War II—he was simply too tall for cockpit duty. As a soldier in the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Army’s Third...

"Honesty is the single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product." Ed McMahon was born in Detroit, Michigan, but he was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. As he grew up, his booming, resonant voice became the centerpiece of his career as an entertainer and would serve him as a Marine. When he graduated high school, his dream was to become a pilot for the Marine Corps. In the early 1940's, would-be pilots were required to have at least two years of college under their belts, so McMahon enrolled with Boston College....

"I'd like people to remember me as someone who was good at his job and seemed to mean what he said." Born to the owner of a hardware store, Jimmy Stewart dodged continuing the family business to become one of the most prolific actors of this time. Stewart was shy as a child and was interested in aviation, but his father discouraged him from attending the U.S. Naval Academy and guided him towards Princeton. It was at Princeton that Stewart became involved in acting, and began a career as a stage actor. During the depression, cinema houses were taking over...