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WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE WW II MOVIE STARS?
Some
of you younger guys probably have
not even heard of these 'old movie
stars'...some contrast between these
men and the anti-American movie
stars of today.
Hope
you find this as informative and
interesting as I did.
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 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, Distinguish Service Cross',
Purple Hearts and one Congressional
Medal of Honor.
So
remember; while the
"Entertainers of
2005-2006" have been in all of
the news media lately I would like
to remind the people of what the
entertainers of 1943 were doing, (65
years ago).
Most
of these brave men have since passed
on.
"Real
Hollywood Heroes"
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' Candidate
School 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.
(Maybe
that's why he starred in "McHale's
Navy")
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-29's 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 US . 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, 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 W ith Silver Star,
French Croix de Guerre with Palm,
Medal of Liberated France, Belgian
Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.
Audie
Murphy was killed in 1972 in a plane
crash in Roanoke,Virginia.
So
how do you feel the real heroes of
the silver screen acted when
compared to the hollywonks
today
who spew 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 I!
If
you enjoyed this bit of history,
please pass it on.
**********************************************
It
is the soldier,
not
the President,
who
gives us democracy.
It
is the soldier,
not
the Congress,
who
takes care of us.
It
is the soldier,
not
the Reporter,
who
has given us Freedom of Press.
It
is the soldier,
not
the Poet,
who
has given us Freedom of Speech.
It
is the soldier,
not
the campus Organizer, who has given
us the
Freedom
to Demonstrate.
It
is the soldier,
who
salutes the flag;
who
serves beneath the flag,
and
whose coffin is draped by the flag,
that
allows the protester to burn the
flag.
Father
Dennis O'Brien,
US
Marine Corp. Chaplain
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