Most never said a word

[downtownv]

Most never said a word about the action in WW2:Amflag2:

I can only send this to people our age, since todays people don’t have any idea who these Men were and thats a pity. Maybe you
will recognize a few of these names.


Sterling Hayden, US Marines and OSS. Smuggled guns into Yugoslavia and parachuted into Croatia.

James Stewart, US Army Air Corps. Bomber pilot who rose to the rank of General.

Ernest Borgnine, US Navy. Gunners Mate 1c, destroyer USS Lamberton.

Ed McMahon, US Marines. Fighter Pilot. (Flew OE-1 Bird Dogs over Korea as well.)

Telly Savalas, US Army.

Walter Matthau, US Army Air Corps., B-24 Radioman/Gunner and cryptographer.

Steve Forrest, US Army. Wounded, Battle of the Bulge.

Jonathan Winters, USMC. Battleship USS Wisconsin and Carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Anti-aircraft gunner, Battle of Okinawa.

Paul Newman, US Navy Rear seat gunner/radioman, torpedo bombers of USS Bunker Hill

Kirk Douglas, US Navy. Sub-chaser in the Pacific. Wounded in action and medically discharged.

Robert Mitchum, US Army.

Dale Robertson, US Army. Tank Commander in North Africa under Patton. Wounded twice. Battlefield Commission.

Henry Fonda, US Navy. Destroyer USS Satterlee.

John Carroll, US Army Air Corps. Pilot in North Africa. Broke his back in a crash.

Lee Marvin US Marines. Sniper. Wounded in action on Saipan. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Sec. 7A next to Greg Boyington and Joe Louis.

Art Carney, US Army. Wounded on Normandy beach, D-Day. Limped for the rest of his life.

Wayne Morris, US Navy fighter pilot, USS Essex. Downed seven Japanese fighters.

Rod Steiger, US Navy. Was aboard one of the ships that launched the Doolittle Raid.

Tony Curtis, US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus. In Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan.

Larry Storch. US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus with Tony Curtis.

Forrest Tucker, US Army. Enlisted as a private, rose to Lieutenant.

Robert Montgomery, US Navy.

George Kennedy, US Army. Enlisted after Pearl Harbor, stayed in sixteen years.

Mickey Rooney, US Army under Patton. Bronze Star.

Denver Pyle, US Navy. Wounded in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Medically discharged.

Burgess Meredith, US Army Air Corps.

DeForest Kelley, US Army Air Corps.

Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Officer.

Neville Brand, US Army, Europe. Was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Tyrone Power, US Marines. Transport pilot in the Pacific Theater.

Charlton Heston, US Army Air Corps. Radio operator and aerial gunner on a B-25, Aleutians.
Danny Aiello, US Army. Lied about his age to enlist at 16. Served three years.

James Arness, US Army. As an infantryman, he was severely wounded at Anzio, Italy.

Efram Zimbalist, Jr., US Army. Purple Heart for a severe wound received at Huertgen Forest.

Mickey Spillane, US Army Air Corps, Fighter Pilot and later Instructor Pilot.

Rod Serling. US Army. 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific. He jumped at Tagaytay in the Philippines and was later wounded in Manila.

Gene Autry, US Army Air Corps. Crewman on transports that ferried supplies over "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India Theater.

Wiliam Holden, US Army Air Corps.

Alan Hale Jr, US Coast Guard.

Russell Johnson, US Army Air Corps. B-24 crewman who was awarded Purple Heart when his aircraft was shot down by the Japanese in the Philippines.

William Conrad, US Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot.

Jack Klugman, US Army.

Frank Sutton, US Army. Took part in 14 assault landings, including Leyte, Luzon, Bataan and Corregidor.

Jackie Coogan, US Army Air Corps. Volunteered for gliders and flew troops and materials into Burma behind enemy lines.

Tom Bosley, US Navy.

Claude Akins, US Army. Signal Corps., Burma and the Philippines.

Chuck Connors, US Army. Tank-warfare instructor.

Harry Carey Jr., US Navy.

Mel Brooks, US Army. Combat Engineer. Saw action in the Battle of the Bulge.

Robert Altman, US Army Air Corps. B-24 Co-Pilot.

Pat Hingle, US Navy. Destroyer USS Marshall

Fred Gwynne, US Navy. Radioman.

Karl Malden, US Army Air Corps. 8th Air Force, NCO.

Earl Holliman. US Navy. Lied about his age to enlist. Discharged after a year when they Navy found out.

Rock Hudson, US Navy. Aircraft mechanic, the Philippines.

Harvey Korman, US Navy.

Aldo Ray. US Navy. UDT frogman, Okinawa.

Don Knotts, US Army, Pacific Theater.

Don Rickles, US Navy aboard USS Cyrene.

Harry Dean Stanton, US Navy. Served aboard an LST in the Battle of Okinawa.

Robert Stack, US Navy. Gunnery Instructor.

Soupy Sales, US Navy. Served on USS Randall in the South Pacific.

Lee Van Cleef, US Navy. Served aboard a sub chaser then a mine sweeper.

Clifton James, US Army, South Pacific. Was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.

Ted Knight, US Army, Combat Engineers.

Jack Warden, US Navy, 1938-1942, then US Army, 1942-1945. 101st Airborne Division.

Don Adams. US Marines. Wounded on Guadalcanal, then served as a Drill Instructor.

James Gregory, US Navy and US Marines.

Brian Keith, US Marines. Radioman/Gunner in Dauntless dive-bombers.

Fess Parker, US Navy and US Marines. Booted from pilot training for being too tall, joined Marines as a radio operator.

Charles Durning. US Army. Landed at Normandy on D-Day. Shot multiple times. Awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Survived Malmedy Massacre.

Raymond Burr, US Navy. Shot in the stomach on Okinawa and medically discharged.

Hugh O'Brian, US Marines.

Robert Ryan, US Marines.

Eddie Albert, US Coast Guard. Bronze Star with Combat V for saving several Marines under heavy fire as pilot of a landing craft during the invasion of Tarawa.

Cark Gable, US Army Air Corps. B-17 gunner over Europe.

Charles Bronson, US Army Air Corps. B-29 gunner, wounded in action.

Peter Graves, US Army Air Corps.

Buddy Hackett, US Army anti-aircraft gunner.

Victor Mature, US Coast Guard.

Jack Palance, US Army Air Corps. Severely injured bailing out of a burning B-24 bomber.

Robert Preston, US Army Air Corps. Intelligence Officer

Cesar Romero, US Coast Guard. Coast Guard. Participated in the invasions of Tinian and Saipan on the assault transport USS Cavalier.

Norman Fell, US Army Air Corps., Tail Gunner, Pacific Theater.

Jason Robards, US Navy. was aboard heavy cruiser USS Northampton when it was sunk off Guadalcanal. Also served on the USS Nashville during the invasion of the Philippines, surviving a kamikaze hit that caused 223 casualties.

Steve Reeves, US Army, Philippines.

Dennis Weaver, US Navy. Pilot.

Robert Taylor, US Navy. Instructor Pilot.


Randolph Scott. Tried to enlist in the Marines but was rejected due to injuries sustained in US Army, World War 1.


Ronald Reagan. US Army. Was a 2nd Lt. in the Cavalry Reserves before the war. His poor eyesight kept him from being sent overseas with his unit when war came so he transferred to the Army Air Corps Public Relations Unit where he served for the duration.

John Wayne. Declared "4F medically unfit" due to pre-existing injuries, he nonetheless attempted to volunteer three times (Army, Navy and Film Corps.) so he gets honorable mention.

And of course we have Audie Murphy, America's most-decorated soldier, who became a Hollywood star as a result of his US Army service that included his being awarded the Medal of Honor.


Would someone please remind me again how many of today's Hollywood elite put their careers on hold to enlist in Iraq or Afghanistan?

The only one who even comes close was Pat Tillman, who turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the US Army after September, 11, 2001 and serve as a Ranger in Afghanistan, where he died in 2004. But rather than being lauded for his choice and his decision to put his country before his career, he was mocked and derided by many of his peers and the Left. :amflag:

[Buzzard45]

:eek: 74 remembered. thanx for reminding me how old i am:rolleyes:
(father served aboard the USS Miami)

[ohio lock]

Outstanding list - truly they were the "greatest generation." I would like to add to the list my father USN submariner, Vietnam, my uncle USMC Vietnam, another uncle Air Force, my brother USN torpedoman, and myself, USN radioman. I have a sister in law, US Army, serving 2 tours in Afghanistan, my father in-law, US Army.

Freedom is never free - somebody must stand a post to make sure our children are safe. I thank God for the men/women on this website helping us to keep and value our 2nd ammendment rights.

[olympicmotorcars]

Thank you, that is outstanding.

[muggsy]

Great Post. Seven of my uncles served in WWII. Two of my cousins served in Korea.

[feedramp]

Awesome list there ... :Amflag2:

My father among his regular fighting on the front lines, was also in the Military Police during WWII.

Do you think the young actors of present day would serve ... as the actors of the past did ..... yeah right :faint2: :faint2: :faint2:

[GROTMAN]

Nice post. I knew about some of them serving but wow what a list. I wonder if they let Don Knotts carry more than one bullet at a time? :D

[downtownv]

Don Adams Marine D.I.??????? WOW!

[bob98366]

Patriots all. Reading the list brought goosebumps. My dad and uncle both served in WWII also.

[Longitude Zero]

Unlike the subnumanoid/non-patriotic asshats in the entertainment industry today. Jimmy Stewart also was a certified aircraft commander in the B-58 Hustler.

[Bawanna]

I heard Captain Kangaroo was Lee Marvins superior when he was injured on Saipan. Also Mr Rogers was a Marine and he always wore a sweater on the show to cover up multiple tattoo's on his arms.

Don Adams as a DI, not that's a hoot right there.

[wyntrout]

Awww... C'mon, Bawanna. :rolleyes: We've discussed that bit of BS before... all untrue and covered here numerous times, including links to several sites like Snopes.

I was looking for their names in that list.

Here's the discussion before:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3463&highlight=Lee+Marvin

Wynn:D

[Bawanna]

Well I remembered that, just couldn't remember if it was true or not. You have to remember I'm a conspiracy theorist so it could be Captain Kangaroo caused WWII and shot Kennedy too.

[TheTman]

All my uncles that were old enough served. Their were Marines, Navy, and Army in the bunch. Dad had just had an accident on the farm and got his arm caught in a belt on a piece of farm machinery and it was broken in multiple places and was declared 4F.
I would not want to have to serve with most of what comes out of Hollywood these days, can you imagine being in a fox hole with Justin Beiber?

[Longitude Zero]

I would not want to have to serve with most of what comes out of Hollywood these days, can you imagine being in a fox hole with Justin Beiber?


Honest sarge it was not my fault. He just ended up dead.

[O'Dell]

Odd, I knew all but about two, and I'm a young guy. :rolleyes:

However, if you marched all the current stars of movies and TV by me, I doubt that I could pick out more than a couple.

[smo79]

There is a reason they were called the greatest generation.

[AJBert]

I would like to add an individual, an entertainer who was never in the military but more than served this nation and our military in the best way he could.


Bob Hope. Started doing USO shows during WWII and continued to entertain our troops through every conflict until the '80s I believe.


I had the great honor of seeing him on Christmas Day 1983 onboard the USS Independence in port Haifa, Israel. We had been on station off the coast of Beriut for months supporting the Marines ashore shortly after the bombing of the Marine Barracks.

[DeaconKC]

Thanks for posting this!

[Slotback]

My brother met Micky Rooney several years ago. Said that Mr. Rooney was one of the nicest gentlemen one could hope to meet.

[Ugly_Dog]

MY Dad was a PFC at Pearl!! short war for him. Was in the VA hospital in Denver for most of war! (where he met my Mother.

[Allen]

Awesome list there ... :Amflag2:

My father among his regular fighting on the front lines, was also in the Military Police during WWII.

Do you think the young actors of present day would serve ... as the actors of the past did ..... yeah right :faint2: :faint2: :faint2:

Seems so many actors today, both male/female, would rather be in the news raving about all the money and economic effort they are sending to so many of the overseas countries that literally hate and despise the U.S.
Found the list very interesting as I had no idea just how many of our older generation actors were actually in the War.

[downtownv]

I would like to add an individual, an entertainer who was never in the military but more than served this nation and our military in the best way he could.


Bob Hope. Started doing USO shows during WWII and continued to entertain our troops through every conflict until the '80s I believe.


I had the great honor of seeing him on Christmas Day 1983 onboard the USS Independence in port Haifa, Israel. We had been on station off the coast of Beriut for months supporting the Marines ashore shortly after the bombing of the Marine Barracks.


And The Actor Ronald Reagan as well......

[jlottmc]

Guys, I'm the youngest (I think) on this thread, and I recognized many of those names.