Guess Who

this man -

- was drafted

- said, 'The only lottery I ever came close to winning was the drawing for the first draft before Pearl Harbor.'

- was 10 lbs. underweight for his height-weight ratio and was denied after being drafted

- appealed the army's decision when denied

- said (with a slight grin) he had a friend operating the scales for the second weigh-in

- defied his boss and took every step possible to get into uniform

- was a movie star, academy award-winning actor, American folk hero, Princeton graduate, aviator, bachelor, and prime favorite with the Hollywood ladies - who entered the army as a private

- when giving his reason to enlist said, 'It may sound corny, but what's wrong with wanting to fight for your country. Why are people reluctant to use the word patriotism?'

- made a promise to himself that he wouldn't use his celebrity for any favors

- went from earning thousands a month to $21 a month
on purpose

- 'won his commission not by pulling a string in Washington nor on the strength of civilian prominence, but by the unspectacular method of meeting the official requirements'

- at the end of WWII was a full commander of a combat bomber wing of the 8th Air Force

- was the highest ranking of Hollywood stars and directors who went off to war

- was among the very few officers in American military history to rise from private to colonel in just over four years

- served in the reserves until the retirement age of 60, during which time he became a general- was in combat situations the whole time he was overseas performing demanding and exposed duties

- lead pilot, squadron operations officer, and at the end - wing commander

- flew 20 combat missions against the Germans

- when not flying with 'his boys' was waiting at the control tower for their return

- flew every mission with his team that he could, when told to limit himself to 1 out of every 5, chose the most dangerous to fly

- had said of him - 'he was a very good B-24 pilot; he had a steady hand and a natural feel for piloting the aircraft. His greatest strength, however, was in his ability as a combat leader. He led many dangerous and difficult missions to such places as Berlin and, in the heat of air battle, he always maintained a calm demeanor. His pilots had absolute faith in him and were willing to follow him wherever he led.'

- won the most respect from his colleagues after one mission on which he missed the target and refused to alibi about it, taking all the blame for the mistake

- said, 'fear is an insidious and deadly thing. it can warp judgment, freeze reflexes, breed mistakes. worse, it's contagious. i knew that my own fear, if not checked, could infect my crew members.'

- was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal

- after his death there was a award created in his name to recognize outstanding pilots

- was remembered as 'shy, intense, not much of a talker, and a very competent pilot'- when he was told, 'I am honored to meet you, but... ah, you are an actor of course. We, ah, do not cater to actors, you see.' by a hotel manager, responded with, 'zat so? Waal, lemme tell ya. For the next four weeks, I'm Brigadier General *name*, United States Air Force.'
(in Madrid, the hotel manager touched a nerve. he was in Spain, not as an actor, but as a ranking American military officer in the service of his country. he expected to be treated with respect and dignity, and he quietly demanded it.)

- served in Vietnam and took part in a bombing mission

- after calling his twin daughters in for a 'talk' before they left for college, as typical, he kept it short and to the point - 'be nice to people and they will be nice to you.'

any guesses?

the final (and giveaway) clue...
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- his first movie after returning home was 'It's a Wonderful Life'
(and he played the lead in case you were wondering)


i've always thought he was good-looking, but the uniform makes him even more so (:

I learned all of this (and more) by reading Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith. Not the best-written book I've ever read, but interesting. I've always liked him as an actor, but have more respect and admiration for him now. (I loved reading about a Hollywood star who appreciated this country and recognized that it gave him wonderful opportunities he wouldn't have had elsewhere instead of the outspoken ingrates we have now (not all of them are outspoken ingrates, but too many of them are).)

My last endorsement for Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot: If you want an interesting/fun read, about a lovable, worthy-of-admiration-and-respect real (and 'reel' - as the book points out) hero - pick it up.

Did you guess who it was? Did you guess someone else?
Let me know. (: