Before you knew them as actors, musicians, politicians and important personalities, these brave men and women served their respective countries in both times of war and times of peace. This page serves as nothing more than a way to honor that legacy of commitment and service.
Before you knew them as actors, musicians, politicians and important personalities, these brave men and women served their respective countries in both times of war and times of peace...
This page serves as nothing more than a way to honor that legacy of commitment and service.
Tom Selleck served in the 160th Infantry of the California Army National Guard and was activated at the breakout of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. Selleck left a six-month contract he had …
Read MoreAt age 18, Orville Burrell, nicknamed "Shaggy" by his friends, moved from Kingston Jamaica to NYC to join his mother in Brooklyn. In 1988, he joined the US Marine Corps. Stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, he continued to pursue music in his free time, and…
Read MoreBecause of his expertise as an Olympic champion skeet shooter (1937), he was assigned to teach anti-aircraft gunnery. In honor of his three years of service, Stack was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, Expert Rifle Ribbon…
Read MoreAlready an established actor, on 27 Feb 1942, Burgess put his career on hold during and joined the United States Army Air Corps, where he eventually reached the rank of Captain. He transferred to the Office of War Information and was involved in making films for GIs. He was discharged in 1945 to work on the movie The Story of G.I. Joe, in which he starred as the popular war correspondent…
After the war, the British Government started a program in which every 18 year old boy was required to complete their National Service. In 1951 Michael joined the Queens Royal Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers and served first in Germany and ultimately during the Korean conflict….
During his senior year of high school in 1942, Leon dropped out of school to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. His MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was that of field radio operator. Following a period stationed in New Zealand, Uris served in combat on Guadalcanal and Tarawa as a …
Read MoreAdmitted to the U.S. Navy's V-12 officer training program in 1943 as an apprentice seaman Johnny Carson hoped to train as a pilot, but was sent instead to Columbia University for midshipman training. Commissioned as an ensign in 1945, he reported for duty aboard the USS Pennsylvania on Aug. 14…
Read MoreYou know him as a comedian and comedic actor who rose to fame in the 1950s with his television variety show and his character "Lonesome George". After graduating high school in Chicago, Gobel was working as a DJ in St Louis when WWII came calling. George served in the United States Army Air Forces as a flight instructor in AT-9 aircraft at Altus, Oklahoma…
Read MoreIn January 1939 Karola Ruth Siegel was sent to Switzerland by her mother and grandmother after her father was taken by the Nazis. By 1941, both her parents were presumed dead and Westheimer was left on her own. At 17 she emigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine, and dedicated to the building of a Jewish homeland, joined Haganah, an underground Jewish military organization. Despite her diminutive height (4’7”), she served as a sniper and a sharpshooter. Says Dr. Ruth of that interval…
Read MoreBecause the British Army sponsored his university education, Blunt was obliged to serve a minimum of four years in the armed forces. Blunt trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, where he rose to the rank of captain. One of his first assignments was to British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada…
Read MoreIn 1945, Peckinpah joined the United States Marine Corps where he was sent to China with the task of disarming Japanese soldiers and repatriating them following World War II. While he was disappointed that his duty did not include any actual combat, Sam claims to have witnessed ghastly acts of war between Chinese and Japanese soldiers. According to friends…
Read MoreThere is very little published information about Norman Noah Feld's (Norman Fell) time in the US Air Force. We do know he served as a tail gunner in the World War II Pacific theater. After his service was complete, he enrolled and studied drama at Temple University. During his long television and film career, Fell played a few choice parts in military films including Catch-22, PT 109and Pork Chop Hill.
Read MoreFamilyphile is a business specializing in family history research, a unique family tree presentation and discovering our collective connective tissue through all things genealogy.
Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards.
—Unknown
All information on this blog has been compiled by me from a variety of sources. It is intended for entertainment purposes only. If you believe any information to be incorrect or misrepresented, please let us know at support@familyphile.com. If you are the source of any content and are not attributed properly, please contact us so we can give credit where credit is due!
Header photo by Joseph Gruber/flickr
