I Served Too - A A A A

Art Acord RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American silent film actor and rodeo champion. He won the Steer Bulldogging world championship in 1912 and repeated as champion in 1916, defeating challenger and friend Hoot Gibson. His rodeo skills had been sharpened when he worked for a time for the Miller Brothers' traveling 101 Ranch Wild West Show. It was with the 101 that he made friends with Tom Mix, Bee Ho Gray, "Broncho Billy" Anderson and Hoot Gibson, all cowboys of the silver screen. He went on to become one of the first true stars of western films. A celebrated rodeo star, Acord not only acted but also wrote scripts and performed as a stunt man. He made over 100 film shorts, all but a few of which have been lost. Served in WW1. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery.
Don Adams RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	American actor, comedian and director. In his five decades on television, he was best known as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the TV situation comedy Get Smart. Enlisted in 1941 and assigned to the Third Marines in Samoa until he was sent as a replacement to the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he was the only survivor of his platoon. He was evacuated and spent over a year in a Navy hospital in Wellington, New Zealand. After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the U.S.
Nick Adams RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Coast Guard	American film and television actor. He has been noted for his supporting roles in successful Hollywood films during the 1950s and 1960s along with his starring role in the ABC television series The Rebel (1959). Drafted in January 1952. Two and a half years later, in June 1954 his ship docked in Long Beach harbor and after a brash audition for director John Ford during which Adams did impressions of James Cagney and other celebrities while dressed in his Coast Guard uniform, he took his accumulated leave and appeared as Seaman Reber in the 1955 film version of Mister Roberts. Adams then completed his military service, returned to Los Angeles and at the age of 23.
John Agar RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death. He also starred with Lucille Ball in the 1951 movie The Magic Carpet. Served in WW2 as a physical training instructor in the continental U.S. and was a sergeant at the time he left the army in 1946.
Philip Ahn RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	Korean-American actor. He was the first Asian American film actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ahn's first film was A Scream in the Night in 1935. He appeared in the Bing Crosby film Anything Goes. His first credited roles came in 1936 in The General Died at Dawn and Stowaway. He starred opposite Anna May Wong in Daughter of Shanghai (1937) and King of Chinatown (1939). During WW2 Ahn often played Japanese villains in war films. Mistakenly thought to be Japanese, he received several death threats. Ahn appeared in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, Around the World in Eighty Days, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Paradise, Hawaiian Style, with Elvis Presley. He got to play Korean characters in Korean War movies such as Battle Circus (1953) and Battle Hymn (1956). His last major role was as "Master Kan" on the television series Kung Fu. Served in WW2 as an entertainer in Special Services.
Claude Akins RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American actor with a long career on stage, screen and television. He is best remembered as Sheriff Lobo in the 1970s TV series B. J. and the Bear, and later The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. In television he had numerous roles in Western series, including Frontier, Crusader, My Friend Flicka, Northwest Passage, State Trooper, Wagon Train, Overland Trail, Laramie, The Big Valley, Daniel Boone, The Legend of Jesse James, Death Valley Days, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Oregon Trail. As a film actor, Akins first appeared in 1953's From Here to Eternity. He appeared in 1954's The Caine Mutiny, Don't Give Up the Ship, Merrill's Marauders, The Devil's Brigade, A Distant Trumpet (1964), and the gorilla leader Aldo in Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Served in WW2 serve with the Signal Corps in Burma and the Phillipines.
Lou Albano RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, better known as Captain Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995. Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold. Albano was part of the "Triumvirate of Terror," a threesome of nefarious WWF managers that also included The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Fred Blassie. The trio would be fixtures in the company for a decade, until the Grand Wizard's death in 1983. Served in the early 1950s.
Eddie Albert RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor and activist. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid. He starred as Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s television situation comedy Green Acres. Served in WW2 and was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for his actions during the Invasion of Tarawa in November 1943.
Alan Alda RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Reserve	American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A five-time Emmy Award and six-time Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series MASH. In 1966, he starred in the musical The Apple Tree on Broadway; he was nominated for the Tony award as Best Actor in a Musical for that role. Alda made his Hollywood acting debut as a supporting player in Gone are the Days (1963). Other film roles would follow, such as his portrayal of author, humorist, and actor George Plimpton in the film Paper Lion (1968) as well as The Extraordinary Seaman (1969) and the occult-murder-suspense thriller The Mephisto Waltz (1971). In early 1972 Alda auditioned for and was selected to play the role of "Hawkeye Pierce" in the TV adaptation of the 1970 film MASH. During MAS*H's run and continuing through the 1980s, Alda embarked on a successful career as a writer and director, with the ensemble The Four Seasons (1981) being perhaps his most notable hit. Betsy's Wedding (1990) is his last directing credit to date. His role as a pompous celebrity comedian in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) was widely seen as a self-parody. In 1995 Alda starred as the President in Canadian Bacon. In 1996, Alda played Henry Ford in Camping With Henry and Tom. Beginning in 2004, Alda was a regular cast member on the NBC program The West Wing, portraying Republican U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Arnold Vinick, for which, in August 2006, Alda won an Emmy Award. In 2004, Alda portrayed the late conservative Maine Senator Owen Brewster in The Aviator and received his first Academy Award nomination for his role. In the spring of 2005, Alda starred in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Served from 1956 to 1958, including a six-month tour of duty as a gunnery officer in Korea.
Steve Allen RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American television personality, musician, actor, comedian, and writer, best-known for his television career. Became the first host of The Tonight Show, where he was instrumental in innovating the concept of the television talk show. Thereafter, he hosted numerous game and variety shows, including The Steve Allen Show Served in WW2 as an infantryman. He spent his service time at Camp Roberts, near Monterey, California and did not serve overseas.
Herb Alpert RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass or TJB. Alpert's musical accomplishments include five number one hits, twenty-eight albums on the Billboard charts, eight Grammy Awards, fourteen Platinum albums and fifteen Gold albums. As of 1996, Alpert had sold 72 million albums worldwide. Alpert and the Tijuana Brass won six Grammy awards. Fifteen of their albums won gold discs, and fourteen won platinum discs. In 1966 over 13 million Alpert recordings were sold, outselling the Beatles. That same year, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized that Alpert set a new record by placing five albums simultaneously on the Billboard Pop Album Chart, an accomplishment that has never been repeated. Joined in 1952 and frequently performed at military ceremonies.
Leroy Anderson RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. His pieces and his recordings during the fifties conducting a studio orchestra were immense commercial successes. "Blue Tango" was the first instrumental recording ever to sell one million copies. His most famous pieces are probably Sleigh Ride and "The Syncopated Clock", both of which are instantly recognizable to millions of people. Anderson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1620 Vine Street. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and his music continues to be a staple of "pops" orchestra repertoire. Served in WW2 and Korea. In 1942 Anderson joined the service and was assigned to Iceland as a translator and interpreter. Later in 1945 he was assigned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence. Anderson was a reserve officer and was recalled to active duty for the Korean War.
Sunny Anderson RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force	American Food Network personality. She began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real and served as co-host of the Food Network program Gotta Get It. Joined in June 1993, where she earned the rank of Senior Airman and worked as a military radio host in Seoul, South Korea, then worked for Air Force News Agency radio and television in San Antonio from 1993 to 1997. She was honorably discharged from the Air Force in June 1997.
Keith Andes RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor. 1950s and 60s second lead actor Keith Andes fit into the strappingly handsome and virile mold. He won a Theatre World Award for "The Chocolate Soldier" in 1947 and, subsequently, starred in "Kiss Me Kate" with Anne Jeffreys of TV's "Topper" (1953) fame. More notably, he appeared opposite Lucille Ball in her only Broadway musical "Wildcat" in 1960. Served in WW2. He performed in the patriotic 1943 Broadway stage show Winged Victory.
Richard Arlen RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American actor. His big break came when William A. Wellman cast him as a pilot in the silent film Wings (1927) with Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Clara Bow. The story of fighter aces would win the Oscar for Best Picture and Arlen would continue to play the tough, cynical hero throughout his career. Arlen appeared in three more pictures directed by Wellman, Beggars of Life (1928), Ladies of the Mob (1928) and The Man I Love (1929). In 1929, he worked with Gary Cooper in the western The Virginian (1929), only this time Cooper was the star and Arlen was the supporting actor. While Arlen moved easily into sound, his career just bumped along. By 1935 he was working in such "B" pictures as Three Live Ghosts (1936). Served in WW1 as a flight instructor with the Royal Canadian Flying Corps.
Robert Armstrong RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American film actor best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end. Months later, he starred as Carl Denham again in the sequel, Son of Kong, released the same year. In the late 1950s, Armstrong appeared as Sheriff Andy Anderson on Rod Cameron's syndicated western-themed television series, State Trooper. Served in WW1.
Desi Arnaz RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the classic American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to whom he was married at the time. He received his draft notice, but before reporting he injured his knee. He completed his recruit training, but was classified for limited service during WW2. He was assigned to direct United Service Organization programs at a military hospital in the San Fernando Valley. Discovering the first thing the wounded soldiers requested was a glass of cold milk, he arranged for movie starlets to meet them and pour the milk for them.
James Arness RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years. His brother was actor Peter Graves. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s. Served in WW2 and reported to Fort Snelling in March 1943. Arness served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at Anzio, Italy. Due to his height, he was the first ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist. On January 29, 1945, having undergone surgery several times, Arness was honorably discharged. His wounds bothered him ever since, and in recent years Arness has suffered from acute leg pain. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart; the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Bea Arthur RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve	American actress, comedienne and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both roles. Served in WW2 where she spent 30 months in the Marine Corps. She was one of the first members of the Women's Reserve and spent time as a typist and a truck driver despite publicly denying any military service. When she enlisted, she was described as "argumentative and "over-aggressive." The recruitment officer concluded, however, that she is: "Officious--but probably a good worker--if she has her own way!".
Ed Asner RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant. Served in WW2 with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and appeared in plays that toured Army camps in Europe.
Xavier Atencio RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American animator and Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company from 1938 until 1965. He contributed to various Disney attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean for which he also penned the lyrics to the theme song, "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me). Served in WW2 1941 to 1945 reaching the rank of captain in the 2nd Photo Tech Squadron, stationed in England.
Richard Attenborough RETURN TO INDEX	Royal Air Force	British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi. He has also won four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his roles in The Great Escape, Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel. In 1967 and 1968, he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor, the first time for The Sand Pebbles and the second time for Doctor Dolittle. Served in WW2 as an air-gunner cameraman. He would fly in the tail end of a Lancaster bomber taking film of a target before a bombing raid and then again immediately after it, having circled in the air while the raid took place.
Gene Autry RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s. Served as a C-47 Skytrain pilot with the rank of flight officer in the Air Transport Command during WW2 flying dangerous missions over the Himalayas, nicknamed the Hump, between Burma and China.
George Axelrod RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director, best known for his play, The Seven Year Itch (1952), which was adapted into a movie of the same name starring Marilyn Monroe. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 1961 adaptation of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's and also adapted Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Served in WW2 in the Army Signal Corps.

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