Posted on 12/14/2019 2:17:30 PM PST by fugazi
78 years ago, while the wounds of the Pearl Harbor attacks were still fresh, the United States celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. To commemorate this special day, all four major radio networks aired a one-hour special program narrated by U.S. Army corporal Jimmy Stewart and other celebrities of the day.
Listen to this entertaining and powerfully patriotic program here: https://orsonwelles.indiana.edu/items/show/2037
Lt. Gen. Martial Henri Valin, Chief of Staff, French Air Force, awarding Croix De Guerre with palm to Col. Stewart
Corporal Jimmy Stewart? Yes, the Academy Award-winning actor had tried to enlist in the Army since 1940. Stewart did not meet the weight requirements (he was too skinny) but finally worked his way into the service as an Air Corps private in March 1941. Told he was too old (33) to begin pilot training, he found his way around that and earned a commission and his wings. Stewart feared his celebrity status would keep him from combat, and the Army made him an instructor at Kirtland Army Air Field (New Mexico).
But the unrelenting Stewart eventually found his way into a combat assigment, flying...
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
Jimmy Stewart was a private pilot when WWII started. He had to fight the system to get a commission, but ended up as a squadron and group commander in England. Like most senior officers, he took his turn serving as a Command Pilot, leading formations for the 8th Air Force. My father in law was also a Command Pilot and flew with Stewart as well as participating with him in mission planning. senior leader conferences, etc. He said that Stewart was a good combat leader and never played the celebrity card.
Awesome story. I knew he shot Liberty Valance, not John Wayne ;)
It is excellent. Extremely well done. Great program to listen to.
And retired as a brigadier general. Pretty impressive.
Cpl. To BG...nice job General Stewart. Not many...if any..Hollywood scum these days could get past any boot camp.
btt
He flew (but not piloted) a B-52 mission over North Vietnam.
Nice post, thanks. My father in law was a captain/pilot in the 446th bomb group, flew out of Flixton and flew 35 missions. He was in the 706th.
My FIL was a Lead Pilot, Group Operations Officer, Wing Training Officer with 493d BG out of Debach. They flew B-24s and then B-17s.
Jimmy Stewart Patriotism Link for Later Listening.
Not only did he fly combat missions in WWII and Viet Nam, he lost a son in Viet Nam, too.
Thanks for sharing, my FIL just flew B24’s. What a great generation!
Thank you.
At 29:00 it talks about today’s D’rats.
It’s the kind of message not heard since the 1960’s.
It foreshadowed what our progressives/leftists are doing today.
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