Popular for his good looks and depth in the showbiz industry, Tony Curtis was one celebrity who thought highly of serving in the military. From 1943 to 1945, Curtis served in the submarine force during the Second World War. He was ranked 3rd class signalman, and served in the Pacific Theatre.
He was inspired by the movie Destination Tokyo, which led him to his navy service, surviving the great war, witnessing the Japanese surrender in Tokyo from the signal bridge of his vessel. Upon his death, Curtis received honors from the flag, and firing detail of the Local US Air force.
Mickey Rooney
We absolutely love Mickey Rooney for his cute and funny facial expressions on and off the screen. Being the last surviving actor of the silent film era, Rooney made a name for himself as a radio personality, comedian, producer, and vaudevillian. He appeared in more than 300 films, making his one epic career.
He was also one of the highest paid actors in showbiz during his time. In 1944, he was drafted by the army, assigned mostly to entertain the troops on stage and on radio during WWII. He earned himself a Bronze Star for his performances as well as a World War II Victory Medal, and a medal for good conduct in appreciation of his military service.
Oliver Stone
When American filmmaker Oliver Stone started working on the movie Platoon, all the ingredients necessary to make the war action drama a critical success had already been cooked up in his mind years ago, from a time when he himself had been shot at, his life at risk, all in the name of freedom and democracy.
In 1967, Stone joined the US Army. He didn’t want to be there simply as a witness to the atrocities of war. He wanted to participate in combat himself, made a special request for it, and was wounded in action twice during the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Bronze Star with a “V” device, and a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster. Most of all, his experiences in battle elevated Platoon to cinematic heights.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse “The Body” Ventura is a name we readily link with wrestling and films like Predator. But before all that came to fruition, when he was just about to make a name for himself in wrestling and in Hollywood, Ventura earned a distinguished career as a member of the US Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War.
Although this professional wrestler’s life was all about action in the ring, he did not get to experience any actual combat while he was serving his time in the navy. Often referred to as a Navy Seal, Ventura never actually got to finish his training with the unit.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix knew he made the biggest mistake of his life when he got arrested for attempting to steal a car twice. In 1961, as punishment, Hendrix was given the option to choose between going to jail or joining the army, which really didn’t seem like much of a choice at all.
That was the curious start of his military career. He was stationed in Fort Campbell Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Division, where he was forced to work as hard as he could to complete his paratrooper training, and was then awarded a Screaming Eagles Patch. In 1962, Jimi Hendrix was discharged from the army after he injured his ankle during a jump.