Now Let Us Praise Brave Men

NEVER GIVE IN!

Winston Churchill

NOW LET US PRAISE BRAVE MEN

By Lantz

The following famous, brave men, proudly served in the military. Many of them saw combat and risked their life for our freedom.

Sterling Hayden

U.S. Marines and OSS. Smuggled guns into Yugoslavia and parachuted into Croatia.

James Stewart

U.S. Army Air Corps. Bomber Pilot who rose to the rank of General.

Ernest Borgnine

U.S. Navy. Gunners Mate 1c, served on the destroyer USS Lamberton.

Ed McMahon

U.S. Marines. Fighter Pilot. Flew OE-1 Bird Dogs over Korea.

Telly Savalas U.S. Army.

Walter Matthau

U.S. Army Air Corps. B-24 Radioman/Gunner and cryptographer.

Steve Forrest U.S. Army. Wounded at the Battle of the Bulge.

Jonathan Winters

U.S. Marines. Served on the battleship USS Wisconsin and aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Anti-aircraft Gunner in the Battle of Okinawa.

Paul Newman

U.S. Navy. Rear seat Radioman/Gunner. Torpedo bombers on the USS Bunker Hill.

Kirk Douglas

U.S. Navy. Sub-chaser in the Pacific. Wounded and medically discharged.

Robert Mitchum U.S. Army.

Dale Robertson

U.S. Army. Tank Commander in North Africa under General Patton. Wounded twice in combat.

Henry Fonda U.S. Navy. Served on the destroyer USS Satterlee.

John Carrol

U.S. Army Air Corps. Pilot in North Africa. He broke his back in a airplane crash.

Lee Marvin

U.S. Marines. Sniper. Wounded during the battle of Saipan. Lee Marvin is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Sec. 7A.

Art Carney

U.S. Army. Wounded during the Normandy Invasion. He limped and was in pain for the rest of his life.

Wayne Morris

U.S. Navy. Fighter Pilot. USS Essex. Destroyed several Japanese planes.

Larry Storch U.S. Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus with Tony Curtis.

Tony Curtis

U.S. Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus. He was in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan.

Rod Steiger

U.S. Navy. He was aboard one of the ships that launched the Doolittle Raid.

Forrest Tucker

U.S. Army. Enlisted as a private and rose to the rank of lieutenant.

Robert Montgomery U.S. Navy.

George Kennedy

U.S. Army. Enlisted after Pearl Harbor and stayed in the service for 16 years.

Mickey Rooney

U.S. Army. Served under General Patton and received the Bronze Star.

Denver Pyle

U.S. Navy. Wounded during the battle of Guadalcanal. Medically discharged.

Burgess Meredith U.S. Army Air Corps.

DeForest Kelley U.S. Army Air Corps.

Robert Stack U.S. Navy. Gunnery Officer.

Neville Brand U.S. Army. Awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Tyrone Power

U.S. Marines. Transport Pilot in the Pacific Theater.

Charlton Heston

U.S. Army Air Corps. Radio Operator and Aerial Gunner on a B-25 bomber.

Danny Aiello

U.S. Army. Lied about his age to enlist at 16. He served 3 years.

James Arness

U.S. Army. As an infantryman he was severely wounded at Anzio, Italy.

Efram Zimbalist, Jr.

U.S. Army. Awarded the Purple Heart for a severe wound received at Huertgen Forest.

Mickey Spillane

U.S. Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot and later Instructor Pilot.

No soldier ever really survives. Audie Murphy

Rod Serling

U.S. Army. 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific. He parachuted at Tagaytay in the Philippines and was later wounded in Manila.

Gene Autry

U.S. Army Air Corps. Crewman on the transports that ferried supplies over “The Hump” in the China-Burma-India Theater.

William Holden U.S. Army Air Corps.

Alan Hale, Jr. U.S. Coast Guard.

Russell Johnson

U.S. Army Air Corps. B-24 crewman who was awarded the Purple Heart when his aircraft was shot down by the Japanese in the Philippines.

William Conrad U.S. Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot.

Jack Klugman U.S. Army.

Frank Sutton

U.S. Army. Participated in 14 assault landings, including Leyte, Luzon, Bataan and Corregidor.

Jackie Coogan

U.S. Army Air Corps. Volunteered for gliders and flew troops and materials into Burma behind enemy lines.

Tom Bosley U.S. Navy.

Claude Akins U.S. Army. Signal Corps. Burma and the Philippines.

Chuck Connors U.S. Army. Tank-warfare Instructor.

Harry Carey, Jr. U.S. Navy.

Mel Brooks

U.S. Army. Combat Engineers. Fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Robert Altman U.S. Army Air Corps. B-24 Co-Pilot.

Pat Hingle U.S. Navy. Served on the destroyer USS Marshall.

Fred Gwynne U.S. Navy. Radioman.

Karl Malden U.S. Army Air Corps. 8th Air Force, NCO.

Earl Holliman

U.S. Navy. Lied about his age to enlist. Discharged after a year when the Navy found out how young he was.

Rock Hudson U.S. Navy. Aircraft Mechanic in the Philippines.

Harvey Korman U.S. Navy.

Charles Robert Caldwell

1927-2009

The tall skinny guy, my dad, survived the Normandy Invasion. I knew this brave man my whole life, and he rarely talked about the war. I think talking about the war, and the hell they went through, was to painful for him. You won't see dad's name on any war hero list. Thousands of brave men who survived the war, like dad, wanted no part of being called a hero. I asked dad once how he felt about being called a “war hero.” In his laid back, soft spoken voice, he said, “We were just doing what had to be done.”

Even though dad wanted no part of being called a “war hero”, he will always be my hero. Lantz

Aldo Ray

U.S. Navy. UDT frogman in Okinawa.

Don Knotts U.S. Army. Pacific Theater.

Don Rickles U.S. Navy. Served on the USS Cyrene.

Harry Dean Stanton U.S. Navy. Served on a LST in the Battle of Okinawa.

Soupy Sales

U.S. Navy. Served on the USS Randall in the South Pacific.

Lee Van Cleef U.S. Navy. Served as a sub chaser and mine sweeper.

Clifton James

U.S. Army. Served in the South Pacific. He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Ted Night U.S. Army. Combat Engineers.

Jack Warden

U.S. Navy 1938-1942. U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division 1942-1945.

Don Adams

U.S. Marines. Wounded at Guadalcanal, then served as a Drill Instructor.

James Gregory U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines.

Brian Keith

U.S. Marines. Radioman and Gunner in Dauntless dive-bombers.

Fess Parker

U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines. Booted from pilot training for being too tall, then he joined the U.S. Marines as a Radio Operator.

Charles Durning

U.S. Army. Landed at Normandy on D-Day. Shot multiple times. Awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts. Survived the Malmedy Massacre.

Raymond Burr

U.S. Navy. Shot in the stomach in Okinawa and medically discharged.

Hugh O'Brian U.S. Marines.

Robert Ryan U.S. Marines.

Eddie Albert

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

Clark Gable U.S. Army Air Corps. B-17 Gunner over Europe.

Charles Bronson U.S. Army Air Corps. B-29 Gunner. Wounded in action.

Peter Graves U.S. Army Air Corps.

Buddy Hackett U.S. Army. Anti-aircraft Gunner.

Victor Mature U.S. Coast Guard.

Jack Palance

U.S. Army Air Corps. Severely injured parachuting out of a B-24 bomber.

Robert Preston U.S. Army Air Corps. Intelligence Officer.

Cesar Romero

U.S. Coast Guard. Participated in the invasions of Tinian and Saipan on the assault transport USS Cavalier.

Norman Fell U.S. Army Air Corps. Tail Gunner Pacific Theater.

Jason Robards

U.S. Navy. Was aboard the heavy cruiser USS North Hampton when it went down at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Served on the USS Nashville during the in- vasion of the Philippines. He survived a kamikaze attack that killed 223 soldiers.

Steve Reeves U.S. Army. Fought in the Philippines Theater.

Dennis Weaver U.S. Navy. Pilot.

Robert Taylor U.S. Navy. Instructor Pilot.

Randolph Scott

U.S. Army. He tried to enlist in the U.S. Marines during WWII but was rejected due to his injuries from World War l.

Then there was Audie Murphy 1925-1971. This little shy man was born into a dirt poor sharecropper family in Texas. His father abandoned the family and Audie Murphy was forced to drop out of school in the 5th grade to support his family. Audie Murphy had a rare talent, he was a natural born marksman. His sister said in an interview without her brother's hunting skills they probably would have starved to death.

With fake documents Audie Murphy joined the Army when he was 17-years old because he wanted to, “Fight Germans.” And fight he did. Audie Murphy is the most decorated soldier in United States history. His fearlessness, and bravery, are the stuff legends are made of.

Audie Murphy wrote a book about his experiences in the war titled, To Hell and Back. After the studios talked him into it, he played himself in the movie To Hell and Back.

Audie Murphy was cut short in life. He died in a plane crash when he was only 46-years old.

Audie Murphy is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. His grave is the 2nd most-visited grave site at the cemetery, after that of President John F. Kennedy.

For millions of Elvis fans out there, and Dave (grin), yes, it is true, Elvis served in the military.

On March 24, 1958, at the peak of his early career, Elvis was drafted into the U.S. Army. Elvis could have easily gotten a cushy job in the service, but to his credit, he insisted on being treated like any other soldier.

Elvis was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. As fate would have it, while in Germany Elvis met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulie. Elvis was smitten with Priscilla and he fell madly in love with her. After a 7 ½ year courtship Elvis and Priscilla got married.

While Elvis was in the service his mother, Gladys, died. The Army let Elvis attend her funeral. Elvis never got over his mother stepping over to the other side. I can relate to that.

Serving in the military could have easily ended Elvis Presley's career, but RCA producer Steve Sholes, and Freddy Bienstack, carefully planned ahead for his 2 year performing hiatus. From the time Elvis was inducted, and discharged, he had 10 top 40 hits!

This is the kind of genuinely, generous, person Elvis was. He donated his Army pay to charity. While serving in Germany he bought televisions for the entire base, and an extra set of fatigues for every soldier in his outfit. Everyone who served in the military with Elvis, loved this guy.

Before his untimely death at the age of 42, Elvis was within months of being totally broke, as in bankrupt. To her credit, Priscilla Presley stepped up to the plate, grabbed the bull by the horns, and saved the Elvis Presley legacy, and the home he dearly loved, Graceland. Elvis makes more money now in one year than he made in his entire career when he was alive.

Feel like a road trip? Go to Memphis and pay homage to Elvis. The folks in charge of Graceland just opened a beautiful hotel, and a state-of-the-arts museum. If you want a really kick-ass road trip experience, visit Graceland during the International Memphis in May celebration. I guarantee visiting Memphis and Graceland will be one of the most memorable experiences you have ever had. You will leave Memphis scratching your head and wondering, “Who was that masked man?”

The following famous, brave men, proudly served in the military. Many of them saw combat and risked their life for our freedom.

George Washington

1st President of the United States

James Monroe

5th President of the United States.

Andrew Jackson

7th President of the United States.

William Henry Harrison

9th President of the United States.

John Tyler

10th President of the United States.

James Knox Polk

11th President of the United States.

Zachary Tylor

12th President of the United States.

Millard Fillmore

13th President of the United States.

Franklin Pierce

14th President of the United States.

James Buchanan

15th President of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States.

Ulysses S. Grant

18th President of the United States.

Rutherford B. Hayes

19th President of the United States.

James A. Garfield

20th President of the United States.

Chester A. Arthur

21st President of the United States.

Benjamin Harrison

23rd President of the United States.

William McKinley

25th President of the United States.

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

26th President of the United States.

Harry S. Truman

33rd President of the United States.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

34th President of the United States.

John F. Kennedy

35th President of the United States.

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th President of the United States.

Gerald Ford

38th President of the United States.

Jimmy Carter

39th President of the United States.

Ronald Reagan

40th President of the United States.

George H. W. Bush

41st President of the United States.

The following are a few famous men who never served a day in the military, but they all became rich, filthy rich, making movies about war.

Peter O'Toole, Bradley Cooper, John Wayne, Steven Spielberg, Willem Dafoe,

Brad Pitt, Marlon Brando, Frances Ford Coppola, Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen,

Omar Sharif, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Hopper, Matthew Broderick, Jude Law, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Ed Harris, Nicholas Cage, John Travolta, Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro, and the list goes on and on.

Unlike the famous, brave men, and Presidents mentioned previously, actors now would find it inconceivable to put their career on hold to serve their country. Actors want the fame and fortune, but none of them are willing to risk their life for our freedom. That just seems upside down to me.

Even though dad didn't like talking about the war, he did mentioned this several times, “We were drafted for the duration of the war.” In other words, win this war or you will never go home and see the people you love again.

Nine out of ten millennials are clueless on what the all-out WWll “war effort” was, they are to preoccupied with their cell phones. I am proud to say dad, mother, all my aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents, put everything on the line, and helped save the world.

Thanks for the concept and input, Dave.

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For more Bytes please visit my website at lantzcaldwell dot com