Jimmy Stewart was the first movie star to enter the service for World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed. American celebrities who served in World War II were generally kept out of harm's way and used for publicity purposes; Stewart objected to this special treatment, requesting the same combat duty as other pilots. By the end of the war, he had flown 20 missions over Europe with the 8th Air Force, piloting a B-24 Liberator. He eventually became a Colonel, and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and 7 battle stars. In 1959, he served in the Air Force Reserve, before retiring as a brigadier general.
Besides Ronald Reagan, who served as Commander-In-Chief as the President of the United States, Stewart has the highest military ranking of any actor in history.
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1 comment:
That's pretty awesome. I love all these facts you put out. Cool things to know.
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