John Kerry

John Kerry, the US politician who ran unsuccessfully for the United States president in 2004, also had a military career that took place in the Vietnam war. He originally joined the U.S. Navy but requested to be placed in a swift boat division, rapid boats that could travel up the Vietnamese rivers to disrupt the Vietcong supply lines. During his service he won one Silver star, one bronze star and three purple hearts. As he had been wounded three times he was allowed to be honourable discharge from the war early, but not before reaching the rank of Lieutenant. There was some controversy raised of his military career, but this was later to be found out to be fake news by the Republican Party during the 2004 presidential election.

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James Garner

James Garner, whose real name was James Scott Bumgarner, was a prolific actor and award-winning Hollywood Star who also served in the Merchant Marines in the Korean War. He dropped out of high school during the tail end of World War II and lied about his age to join the Merchant Marines in supplying aid to Europe. After the war ended, he returned to finish high school before dropping out a second time to join the Oklahoma National Guard. As luck would have it, he was drafted to serve in the Korean War where he was awarded two purple hearts. He eventually left the army and moved back to California where he found his love of acting.

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Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton is an American singer and musician who also dabbled in acting. He dropped out of college to study acting, but then World War II broke out and he immediately signed up for the United States Navy. During the war, he served in the battle of Okinawa (made famous by the desperate Japanese attempts with suicide bombers), where he was aboard a landing ship as a galley cook. He left the movie after the war to pursue journalism then switched to radio before finding a home on the stage.

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Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel, the famous US actor who is very well known for his role as the Wolf in “Pulp Fiction,” also served in the Marine Corps. He join the Marines when he was only 17 and was still afraid of the dark. He went on to serve in Lebanon during operation Blue Bat which was a military intervention by the United States during the period of conflict. (The US wanted to support the pro-Western Lebanese government that was in power the time.) He left the military after this for a series for jobs before making it big on stage. He has since gone on to have many more roles in film and television.

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Harvey Korman

Harvey Korman was a famous American comedy actor who worked for many years in the American television industry. He was also a United States Navy Reserve Seaman First Class. He originally signed up during the very end of World War II, serving between 1945 and 1946 before being dismissed and making his way to study drama in Chicago. He later went on to be nominated for six Emmy awards and won four. He also picked up a Golden Globe. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.

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Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente was a famous American baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1955 to 1972. But what many people don’t know is that he was also a Marine. Back in the 1950s, many baseball players would spend the winter in Puerto Rico practising and honing their skills, but Roberto actually enlisted the United States Marine Corps Reserves as an infantryman. He found that his Marine service rigorously prepared his body and kept him much more fit than he would’ve been had he just trained. He had to leave the military 1964 when his team was preparing to win the World Series.

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