I Served Too - S S S S

Barry Sadler RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force & U.S. Army	American author and musician. Best known for his famous song, "The Ballad Of The Green Berets," a patriotic song in ballad style. Enlisted at age 17 in the U.S. Air Force. He was trained as a radar technician and was stationed in Japan. At the end of his four year tour of duty he enlisted in the Army. Following lengthy training as a combat medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he was sent to South Vietnam. In May 1965, while on a combat patrol in the Central Highlands southeast of Pleiku, he was severely wounded in the knee by a feces-covered punji stick.
Soupy Sales RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American comedian, actor, radio-TV personality and host, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television show, Lunch with Soupy Sales; a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. Served on the USS Randall (APA-224) in the South Pacific during the latter part of WW2.
Telly Savalas RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). His other notable movie credits include The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), and Kelly's Heroes (1970). Served in WW2 (1943 to 1946) working for the State Department in the U.S. as host of the "Your Voice of America" series.
Arnold Schwarzenneger RETURN TO INDEX	Austrian Army	Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, model, businessman and politician who served as the 38th Governor of California (2003 to 2011). Schwarzenegger began weight training at 15. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest a total of seven times. He gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon, noted for his lead roles in such films as Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, Commando and Predator. Served in the Austrian army in 1965 to fulfill the one year of service required at the time of all 18-year-old Austrian males.
George C. Scott RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. Served from 1945 until 1949, and was assigned to the prestigious 8th and I Barracks in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he served as a guard at Arlington National Cemetery and taught English literature and radio speaking/writing at the Marine Corps Institute.
Randolph Scott RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals (albeit in non-singing and non-dancing roles), adventure tales, war films, and even a few horror and fantasy films. However, his most enduring image is that of the tall-in-the-saddle Western hero. Served in WW1. Joined at 19 years old and served in France as an artillery observer with the 2nd Trench Mortar Battalion, 19th Field Artillery.
Tom Selleck RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army National Guard	American actor and film producer, best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I. Served in the 160th Infantry of the California Army National Guard in the 1960s and was activated for the Watts Riots.
Peter Sellers RETURN TO INDEX	Royal Air Force	British comedian and actor best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, for playing three different characters in Dr. Strangelove, as Clare Quilty in Lolita, and as the man-child and TV-addicted Chance the gardener in his penultimate film, Being There. Served in WW2 as an airman in the Royal Air Force, rising to corporal, though he had been restricted to ground staff due to poor eyesight. His tour included India and Burma. He also served in Germany and France after the war.
Rod Serling RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Served in WW2 in the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division. Saw combat on the island of Leyte in the Philippines and later particiapted in the liberation of Manila. His last assignment was as part of the occupation force in Japan. Awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Philippine Liberation Medal.
Dr. Seuss RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American writer and cartoonist born Theodor Seuss Geisel. Most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss. He published 44 children's books, which were often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of trisyllabic meter. His most celebrated books include the bestselling Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In 1942, Geisel turned his energies to direct support of the U.S. war effort. First, he worked drawing posters for the Treasury Department and the War Production Board. Then, in 1943, he joined the Army and was commander of the Animation Dept of the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Army Air Forces, where he wrote films that included Your Job in Germany, a 1945 propaganda film about peace in Europe after WW2, Our Job in Japan, and the Private Snafu series of adult army training films. While in the Army, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.
Doc Severinsen RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Served in WW2.
Shaggy RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	Jamaican-American reggae singer & rapper. Born Orville Richard Burrell, better kown by his stage name Shaggy. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me". He has been noted as having a baritone-range singing voice and is said to have taken his nickname from his "shaggy" hair. He is the second reggae artist and the only dancehall artist to receive a Diamond Certification for his 2001 album Hot Shot denoting for worldwide sales of more than 10 million copies. 6 million of those copies were sold in the U.S. Served in Operation Desert Storm. Joined in 1988 as a Field Artillery Cannon Crewman with 5th Battalion 10th Marines. While enlisted in the Marines he served during Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War. It was during this time that Shaggy perfected his signature singing voice, breaking the constant monotony of running and marching cadences with his flair for inflection. It is also where he got the inspiration for his song "Boombastic."
Del Shannon RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961. He had several follow-up hits, including "Hats Off to Larry" and "Little Town Flirt", but his last big hit came in 1965, with "Keep Searchin' ". His career decline didn't keep him from working, however, and he had a few modest hits, notably a cover of Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance?". Shannon spent much of the late 1960s and early 1970s touring Great Britain, where he found a more receptive and admiring audience than he did in the US. In 1985 he had a minor hit on the US country music charts with "In My Arms Again" Was drafted in 1954, and while in Germany played guitar in a band called the Cool Flames.
Bernard Shaw RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	American journalist and former news anchor for CNN from 1980 until his retirement in March 2001. Shaw began his broadcasting career as an anchor and reporter for WNUS in Chicago. He then worked as a reporter for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company in Chicago, moving later to Washington as the White House correspondent. Shaw worked as a correspondent in the Washington Bureau of CBS News from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, Shaw moved to ABC News as Latin American correspondent and bureau chief before becoming the Capitol Hill Senior Correspondent. He left ABC in 1980 to move to CNN as its Principal Anchor. Was a Sergeant in the late 1960s, early 1970s during the Vietnam era where he first met Walter Cronkite in Hawaii.
Jay Silverheels RETURN TO INDEX	Unknown	Canadian Mohawk First Nations actor. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the faithful American Indian companion of the Lone Ranger in a long-running American television series. Silverheels began working in motion pictures as an extra and stunt man in 1937. From the late 1940s he played in several films including, Captain from Castile, Key Largo (1948), Lust for Gold (1949), Broken Arrow (1950), War Arrow (1953), Drums Across the River (1954), Walk the Proud Land (1956), Alias Jesse James (1959), and Indian Paint (1964). He made a brief appearance in True Grit (1969) as a condemned criminal about to be executed. He played a substantial role as John Crow in Santee (1973). Silverheels was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers, and was named to the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6538 Hollywood Boulevard. Served in WW2. Most write-ups state that Silverheels served in WW2, but do not disclose any details. Judging from his screen credits 1940 through 1944, he would have been far too busy to have been in the service during that spell. However, 1945 was Silverheels' least prolific year in Hollywood with just one film credit (Song of the Sarong), so there is a chance he enlisted late in the war.
Red Skelton RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American comedian who was best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing another career as a painter. Drafted in March 1944, so his popular series was discontinued on June 6. Shipped overseas to serve with an Army entertainment unit as a private, he led an exceptionally hectic military life. In addition to his own duties and responsibilities, he was often summoned to entertain officers late at night. The perpetual motion and lack of rest resulted in a nervous breakdown in Italy. He spent three months in a hospital and was discharged in September 1945. He once joked about his military career, "I was the only celebrity who went in and came out a private."
Tucker Smallwood RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American actor, author and vocalist. His films include The Cotton Club (1984), Contact (1997), Deep Impact (1998), Sour Grapes (1998), Traffic (2000), Quigley (2003) and Spectres (2004). On television, he has been a regular and made guest appearances on many series, including Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium, Babylon 5, The X-Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Friends, and The Sarah Silverman Program. Served in Vietnam. Drafted in 1967. Following his training and commissioning as an Infantry Officer, and six more months as an Infantry Tac Officer at Ft. Benning, he attended Jump School, Special Warfare School at Ft. Bragg and Vietnamese Language School at Ft. Bliss. He then commanded a 5-man Advisory Team (MAT-36) to Vietnamese Regional Force troops in the Mekong Delta where he was wounded in action. Following months of hospitalization, surgeries and recovery, he extended his Army commitment for three more months to teach patrolling and counter-insurgency tactics to Engineer Officer Candidates at Ft. Belvoir, in Virginia.
Hal Smith RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American character actor and voice-over artist. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters in animated cartoon shorts. He is also known to radio listeners as John Avery Whittaker on Adventures in Odyssey. Served in the Special Services during WW2.
O.C. Smith RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force	American musician. His recording of "Little Green Apples", which went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, also sold over one million records. Smith gained his first break as a singer with Sy Oliver and made an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. His success on that show led to a recording contract with Cadence Records. Smith's debut release was a cover of the Little Richard hit "Tutti Frutti" in December 1955. The song was not a hit, but convinced MGM Records to sign Smith to a solo contract, resulting in three more releases, but still no hits. In 1961, Smith was recruited by Count Basie to be his vocalist, a position he held until 1965. He also continued to record with different labels, but a hit remained elusive. By 1968, Smith's then label, Columbia Records, was ready to release him from his recording contract, when he entered the charts for the first time with "Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp", which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and also broke the Top 40 in the U.S. Smith was posthumously elected to the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame in November 2002. Joined the service in July 1951. Although officially in Air Police, most of his time was spent in Special Services entertaining the troops wherever he was stationed, serving throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. At one point he spent fifteen months in Alaska. He was discharged in July 1955.
William Smith RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force	American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions. He's best remembered for appearing in "Batman" (1966) as, appropriately, Adonis in the last episode. He was a series regular in "Hawaii Five-O" (1968). Some of his films inlcude Run, Angel, Run! (1969), Grave of the Vampire (1974), Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), Any Which Way You Can (1980), where as a bare-knuckle brawler he had a knock-down, drag-out fight with Clint Eastwood, Conan the Barbarian (1982), Red Dawn (1984), and Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988). On television he appeared on the ABC military-western Custer (1967), Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Rockford Files, The A-Team, and Rich Man, Poor Man. Served during the Korean War as a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over Russia. He had both CIA and NSA clearance and intended to enter a classified position with the U.S. government, but his marriage to a French actress meant the loss of security clearance.
Leon Spinks RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world. While still an amateur, he joined the service and was a member of the Camp Lejeune boxing squad in the early 1970s.
Robert Stack RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he was the star of the 1959 to 1963 ABC hit television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries. Served in WW2 as gunnery instructor.
Brian Stann RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Marine Corps	American mixed martial artist who currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, after first competing for the UFC's sister promotion World Extreme Cagefighting. He is a former WEC Light Heavyweight champion. Enrolled in the United States Naval Academy in 1999 as a member of the Class of 2003. Played football for the Midshipmen at the position of middle linebacker. Upon graduation, he was assigned as an infantry officer and rose to the rank of Captain. On May 8, 2005, Lt. Stann was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines and he commanded the 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon. During Operation Matador, his unit was ambushed by insurgents while trying to secure Ramana Bridge, near Karabilah. Stann and his Marines held out for six days under heavy attacks while Stann coordinated air and tank support that eventually allowed them to be relieved on May 14, 2005. All forty-two Marines in Stann's platoon survived, and the following March, Stann was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor in combat.
Harry Dean Stanton RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Cool Hand Luke, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge. In the late 2000s, he played a recurring role in the HBO television series Big Love. His breakthrough part came with the lead role in Paris, Texas (1984). His television credits are extensive, including eight appearances between 1958 and 1968 on CBS' Gunsmoke and four on the network's Rawhide, as well as a cameo as himself on Two and a Half Men. Served in WW2 as a cook aboard an LST during the Battle of Okinawa.
Roger Staubach RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was key in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys' record-setting twenty consecutive winning seasons. Staubach played quarterback for the United States Naval Academy. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Staubach could have requested an assignment in the States, but he chose to volunteer for a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam where he served as a Supply Corps officer until 1967. He spent the rest of his Naval career in the U.S., playing football on various Naval service teams to prepare for his future career in the NFL.
Rod Steiger RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor known for his performances in such films as In the Heat of the Night, Waterloo, The Pawnbroker, On the Waterfront, The Harder They Fall, Doctor Zhivago, and Jesus of Nazareth. Ran away from home at age16 to join the service during WW2 where he saw action on destroyers in the Pacific Theater.
George Steinbrenner RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force	American principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned 7 World Series titles and 11 pennants. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures. Steinbrenner was also involved in the Great Lakes shipping industry. Joined after college graduation, was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio. He was honorably discharged in 1954.
Don Steinbrunner RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Air Force	American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played both sports at Washington State College (now Washington State University), and was the captain of both teams. He was also a member of ROTC in college. He was an offensive tackle with the 1953 Cleveland Browns, but a knee injury ended his professional football career after only eight games. He joined the United States Air Force, serving as a navigator. He was also an assistant football coach at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Steinbrunner was sent to Vietnam in 1966, and after an injury was offered a safer assignment, which he refused. Major Steinbrunner's plane, a C-123, was shot down on July 20, 1967 during a defoliation mission, killing all five crewmen aboard. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
George Stevens RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. His most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank (1959), nominated for Best Director, Giant (1956), winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane (1953), Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun (1951), winner of Oscar for Best Director. Stevens has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1701 Vine Street. Served in WW2. Joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946, under General Eisenhower. His unit shot footage documenting D-Day - including the only Allied European Front color film of the war - the liberation of Paris and the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, as well as horrific scenes from the Duben labor camp and the Dachau concentration camp. He also helped prepare the Duben and Dachau footage and other material for presentation during the Nuremberg Trials. In 2008, his footage was entered into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as an "essential visual record" of WW2.
McLean Stevenson RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series MAS*H. He was also recognized for his role as Michael Nicholson on The Doris Day Show. Service dates unknown.
Jimmy Stewart RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. Throughout his seven decades in Hollywood, Stewart cultivated a versatile career and recognized screen image in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, It's a Wonderful Life, Shenandoah, Rear Window, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo. He is the most represented leading actor on the AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) and AFI's 10 Top 10 lists. He is also the most represented leading actor on the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list presented by Entertainment Weekly. Flew as command pilot in the lead B-24 on numerous missions deep into Nazi-occupied Europe. These missions went uncounted at Stewart's orders. His "official" total is listed as 20 and is limited to those with the 445th. In 1944, he twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in combat and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He also received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, he was made Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force, and though he was no longer required or expected to fly missions, he continued to do so. Before the war ended, he was promoted to colonel, one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years.
Bert Stiles RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American author of short stories. The Saturday Evening Post published "The Ranger" series of stories based on his experiences in Estes Park, Colorado. He also sold stories to Liberty and The American magazines. Served in WW2. In January 1943 he became an aviation cadet, and was commissioned a second lieutenant, Air Corps, in November. He was assigned to a B-17 Flying Fortress replacement crew sent to the Eighth Air Force in March 1944. He finished his 35-mission combat tour for the 91st Bomb Group. He refused an opportunity to return to the U.S. as a flight instructor and volunteered for a second tour with the Eighth, requesting an assignment in fighters. He completed conversion training and was assigned as a pilot with the 505th Fighter Squadron, 339th Fighter Group, a P-51 Mustang unit stationed at Fowlmere, England. He was killed on November 26, 1944, on the 16th mission of his second tour.
Oliver Stone RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Merchant Marine & U.S. Army	American film director and screenwriter. Stone became known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War. His work frequently focuses on contemporary political and cultural issues, often controversially. He has received three Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay for Midnight Express (1978), and Best Director for Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). He worked as a wiper on a United States Merchant Marine ship, travelling to Oregon and Mexico, before returning to Yale, where he dropped out a second time. In September 1967 he enlisted in the United States Army, requesting combat duty in Vietnam. He fought with the 25th Infantry Division, then with the First Cavalry Division, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster before his discharge in 1968 after 15 months.
Larry Storch RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Navy	American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr. Whoopee on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, and his live-action role of the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. Served in WW2 on the submarine tender USS Proteus (AS-19), in the Pacific Theater along with future actor Tony Curtis.
Ralph Story RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army Air Forces	American television and radio personality. He was best remembered as the host of The $64,000 Challenge, a spin off of the game show The $64,000 Question, from 1956 until 1958. Served in WW2 as a flight instructor and P-51 fighter pilot.
George Strait RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American country music singer, actor and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional Country music. He holds the world record for more #1 hit singles than any other artist in the history of music on any chart or in any genre, having recorded 57 #1 hit singles as of 2010. Strait holds the record for most number one albums, gold albums, and platinum albums in the history of country music and is 11th in the most number one albums in all other genres. Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Enlisted in 1971. While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry division (light), he began performing with an Army-sponsored band, "Rambling Country", which played off-base under the name "Santee". He was honorably discharged from the army in 1975.
Frank Sutton RETURN TO INDEX	U.S. Army	American actor best remembered for his role of Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Served in WW2 in the South Pacific, taking part in 14 assault landings.

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