Second try of 40's and 50's era Hollywood stars and what they did

[Arlo]

... is conscription.

Without the draft and a world war I bet that list would be quite a lot shorter.

Americans recognizing their greatest generation doesn't seem to sit well with you. Huh.

[GScholz]

Americans recognizing their greatest generation doesn't seem to sit well with you. Huh.

Not at all. More like ragging on their current generation for not doing voluntarily what their forebears was forced to do under pain of death.

[Arlo]

Not at all. More like ragging on their current generation for not doing voluntarily what their forebears was forced to do under pain of death.

I believe you're a might confused with your 'pain of death' rhetoric. That would be German celebrities forced into the Wehrmacht, more like.

The list you're attributing to a draft (and WWI) shows several USMC and Navy veterans. Likely you didn't know those branches didn't draft in the U.S. Even paring it down to U.S. Army, seems you're oblivious to the number of Army volunteers during WWII. I might suggest you research further and point out (accurately) the names on the list that were forced to serve 'under pain of death.'

[GScholz]

I didn't say the list would be non-existent. It would be quite a lot shorter... And draftees were inducted into both the Marine Corps and the Army. The penalty for desertion was death, though only one death sentence was actually carried out.

Today you have a professional military, yet many current celebrities have served, like Ice-T, James Blunt, Rudy Reyes, Mark Valley, Jamie Kaler, Adam Driver, John Huertas, J.R. Martinez and many more. It's just that nobody has made a list of them. Wait 30 years and somebody probably will just to rag on the new generations.

[Arlo]

It would be quite a lot shorter...

I'm challenging you to prove your assertion or retract.

[GScholz]

How do you propose I go about doing that? I don't have access to these people's military records, and their wiki pages just say "served" or "joined" which isn't conclusive. "I bet that list would be quite a lot shorter" isn't conclusive or absolute either...

[Arlo]

How do you propose I go about doing that? I don't have access to these people's military records, and their wiki pages just say "served" or "joined" which isn't conclusive. "I bet that list would be quite a lot shorter" isn't conclusive or absolute either...

Seems you can't prove your assertion. Man up and retract then. 

[GScholz]

Why? I still bet that list would be quite a lot shorter if such an investigation was carried out. That is my belief and opinion, nothing more. I have not stated it as fact, so there's nothing to retract.

[Shifty]

Seems you can't prove your assertion. Man up and retract then. 

He can't man up so he won't. Let it go Arlo he loves to piss on the ankle of America for some reason. Let him keep ragging, sooner or later he'll end up MIA on the boards like Coombz.
Personally I don't believe the greatest generation would think they were any greater than our current generation of US citizen soldiers or the Vietnam era either. People forget many of those stars that served, served before they were stars.

[GScholz]

And that's my point, regardless of your attacks on my person. Many of today's generations of actors and entertainers have also served in the military. Of the handful I posted most served in combat, and at least two of them were wounded. I don't have a problem with honoring your WWII veterans. However when you use them to attack the current generations who also serve your country, I find it reprehensible. I bet none of those WWII veterans would agree to do them such a disservice.

If you feel this is "pissing on the ankle of America" then so be it. That's your problem.

[Arlo]

If you feel this is "pissing on the ankle of America" then so be it. That's your problem.

Not so much his problem as your fixation. You made your 'observation' and gave your unqualified opinion.

[R 105]

 If you look at the list of the Hollywood stars that were stars at the start of the war you will find most were over the draft age like Clark Gable who was 39 I think. Today can you name a single Hollywood type regardless of age that volunteered after 911. Now I would say that is a very very short list.

 No one feels they should have to serve in the military now no matter what happens to America. Less than 1% of the population makes up our military today. I would say that today's youth would benefit greatly if the draft were brought back. Lord knows most of the under 40 crowd could use military service to help them man up and it is an honorable thing to serve. I enlisted and volunteered for Vietnam when most guys my age were trying to dodge the draft. Thanks for posting this list.

[GScholz]

[Arlo]

Somewhere along the way you seem to have imagined that the OP (and everyone else in the thread but you) thinks no celeb volunteered for military service since WWII when, in fact, this thread is acknowledging and honoring the fact that so many did DURING World War II. You've gone off on your own imagined tangent and are trying to take the thread with you.

[WWhiskey]

Some may have already been mentioned

James Earl Jones: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army
During college, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps and became a cadet in the Pershing Rifles Drill Team. Although the Korean War was underway, Jones wasn't activated until 1953. He says he was "washed out" of Ranger training and was instead sent to establish a cold weather training unit in Colorado.


Harvey Keitel: U.S. Marine Corps
Like Gene Hackman, he left home at age 16 to join the Marines, ending up in Lebanon with Operation Blue Bat in 1958. In this 2003 interview, he said, "For me the Marine Corps was a spiritual journey. It's not about war. Our duty is to protect those who do not have the means to protect themselves."

Dennis Franz: Airborne Division, U.S. Army
After graduating from college in 1968, Franz was drafted and immediately enlisted in officer's school. He served 11 months with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions in Vietnam.

Rob Riggle: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
This former 'Daily Show' correspondent, also seen in 'The Hangover' and 'The Other Guys,' has served in Liberia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, earning over 19 medals and ribbons for heroism in combat. He is also a Public Affairs Officer with the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Clint Eastwood: Swimming Instructor, U.S. Army
Drafted in 1950, during the Korean War. He was stationed at Fort Ord in California, where, thanks to his lifeguard training, he served as a swimming instructor. He saw the most action on leave: In 1951, a bomber he was in crashed in the ocean near Point Reyes. He and the pilot swam three miles to shore.

Rachel Washburn is a former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader (2007-09) who hung up her pom poms in favor of Army fatigues. She recently finished her second tour in Afghanistan.



There are more, that's just a few I found