DudleySmith
Diamond Member
- Dec 21, 2020
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Something I didn't know before about him:
www.quora.com
“After the war, Stewart was an active part of the United States Air Force Reserve, serving as the Reserve commander of Dobbins Air Reserve Base. On July 24, 1959, he attained the rank of brigadier general (one star general).“
“During the Vietnam War, he flew (not the pilot) in a B-52 on a bombing mission and otherwise continued to fulfill his duty with the Air Force Reserve. He finally retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968, after 27 years of service and was subsequently promoted to Major General (two-star general).“
Bonus Facts:
"Battle of Tarawa," starring Eddie Albert: In this thrilling action-adventure, legendary actor Eddie Albert plays a recently enlisted Navy sailor sent to defend his country during World War II. He is a lieutenant junior grade, a reserve sailor fresh out of boot camp. As the action unfolds, Albert's ship, the U.S.S. Sheridan, circles a coral atoll in the South Pacific. It is a November day in 1943. It is Albert's first invasion. Marines swarm the waters off the coast of the Gilbert Islands, wading toward the beaches under heavy Japanese fire. Hundreds are dead and wounded. At first, Albert watches in horror. Then, in a daring move, he commandeers a small boat and sets out to rescue the wounded. He throws one leg and his torso over the side of the boat and plucks soldiers from the water. When he has rescued six or seven, and his boat is full, he returns to the U.S.S. Sheridan to drop them off. Then he goes out and collects more of the wounded, dodging bullets all the while. That day, 1,056 American men are killed. Albert rescues 79. Eddie Albert may star in this story of heroism, but this is no Hollywood production. The 89-year-old actor, best known for his role in the television series "Green Acres," will receive a combat award today, 53 years after his heroics at the Battle of Tarawa. He didn't ask for the honor. The request came from a Thomasville resident who witnessed the rescues from his perch on a Navy destroyer. George F. Thomas, commander of the East Berlin Veterans of Foreign Wars post, spent three years persuading the Navy to review Albert's actions. U.S. Rep. Bill Goodling, R-York County, lent his weight to the effort, and last month, the Navy awarded Albert the Bronze Star, marked "V" for valor in combat. "We thought he was crazy," Thomas, 76, said of Albert. "We just saw this guy and couldn't believe how he was getting away with it and not being killed."
How was actor Jimmy Stewart able to rise from the rank of private to colonel during World War II?
Answer (1 of 54): I should add that even though Stewart graduated from Princeton University in 1932, he started with a rank of private. Normally (after Dec, ‘42), a college graduate would have a chance to defer service in the armed forces while studying in the Army Specialized Training Program ( ...
“After the war, Stewart was an active part of the United States Air Force Reserve, serving as the Reserve commander of Dobbins Air Reserve Base. On July 24, 1959, he attained the rank of brigadier general (one star general).“
“During the Vietnam War, he flew (not the pilot) in a B-52 on a bombing mission and otherwise continued to fulfill his duty with the Air Force Reserve. He finally retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968, after 27 years of service and was subsequently promoted to Major General (two-star general).“
Bonus Facts:
- Both Stewart’s grandfathers fought in the American Civil War. He also had ancestors on his mother’s side that served in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. His father served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. His adopted son, Ronald, was killed at the age of 24 as a Marine in Vietnam.
East Berlin veterans spotlighted 'Green Acres' Eddie Albert's heroism in World War II
A York (Pa.) Daily Record photographer captured the late actor Eddie Albert - Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s...
www.ydr.com
"Battle of Tarawa," starring Eddie Albert: In this thrilling action-adventure, legendary actor Eddie Albert plays a recently enlisted Navy sailor sent to defend his country during World War II. He is a lieutenant junior grade, a reserve sailor fresh out of boot camp. As the action unfolds, Albert's ship, the U.S.S. Sheridan, circles a coral atoll in the South Pacific. It is a November day in 1943. It is Albert's first invasion. Marines swarm the waters off the coast of the Gilbert Islands, wading toward the beaches under heavy Japanese fire. Hundreds are dead and wounded. At first, Albert watches in horror. Then, in a daring move, he commandeers a small boat and sets out to rescue the wounded. He throws one leg and his torso over the side of the boat and plucks soldiers from the water. When he has rescued six or seven, and his boat is full, he returns to the U.S.S. Sheridan to drop them off. Then he goes out and collects more of the wounded, dodging bullets all the while. That day, 1,056 American men are killed. Albert rescues 79. Eddie Albert may star in this story of heroism, but this is no Hollywood production. The 89-year-old actor, best known for his role in the television series "Green Acres," will receive a combat award today, 53 years after his heroics at the Battle of Tarawa. He didn't ask for the honor. The request came from a Thomasville resident who witnessed the rescues from his perch on a Navy destroyer. George F. Thomas, commander of the East Berlin Veterans of Foreign Wars post, spent three years persuading the Navy to review Albert's actions. U.S. Rep. Bill Goodling, R-York County, lent his weight to the effort, and last month, the Navy awarded Albert the Bronze Star, marked "V" for valor in combat. "We thought he was crazy," Thomas, 76, said of Albert. "We just saw this guy and couldn't believe how he was getting away with it and not being killed."
