These are the stories of the men who had achieved fame in Hollywood and also served in the military during WWII.
Clark Gable
Eight months after the tragic death of his wife Carole Lombard in a plane crash, Clark Gable enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 12, 1942. He enlisted as a private and was sent to the Officers’ Candidate School at Miami Beach, Florida. Gable subsequently graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28.
The legendary actor was then sent to aerial gunnery school. In February 1943, on orders from General Hap Arnold, Gable was assigned to England to make a documentary about aerial gunners in action. The film was called Combat America (1945).
Gable was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group. He also volunteered to fly operational missions over Europe in B-17 bombers. This was so he could obtain the combat film footage he believed was required for producing the movie.
During his Gables 4th mission, he had a close brush with death. While behind the top turret gunner, the actor was almost hit with a 20 mm shell that had come through the flight deck. He flew a total of five missions during his time in the military.
When Gable returned to the United States he was subsequently promoted to the rank of Major. Gable left active duty in 1944 and transferred to the Reserves. His discharge papers were finally signed by future US President Ronald Reagan, who was a captain at the time.
James Stewart
Stewart was the first major star to enlist. This was prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Stewart had tried to enlist in November 1940. However, he was rejected for being underweight. Stewart subsequently gained weight and was accepted in February 1941.
An experienced pilot, Stewart served in the Air Corps and was given a commission as a second lieutenant in January 1942. The Army used Stewart’s celebrity in radio appearances and in the 1942 documentary Winning Your Wings. The film was Oscar-nominated. It should be noted that this led to the recruitment of 150,000 new troops into the Air Corps.
After spending over a year at Kirtland Army Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Stewart volunteered for combat missions in Europe. He was sent to England in November 1943. The actor also flew a B-24 Liberator in several combat missions.
On January 7, 1944, after a mission in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Stewart was promoted to Major. Stewart was eventually promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945, becoming one of the first Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years.
In June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the court martial of a pilot who accidentally bombed Zurich, Switzerland. Later that year he returned to the United States and was one of the twelve founders of the United States Air Force Association in October of that year.
During WWII Stewart was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross as deputy commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing. He was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Along with the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. James Stewart continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves from 1947 to 1968. He retired at age sixty, with the rank of brigadier general.
Robert “Wheezer” Hutchins
Hutchins was famous for starring in the Our Gang shorts as Wheezer. He enlisted in the Army after he graduated high school in 1943. Hutchins subsequently enrolled in the Aviation Cadet Program with the goal of becoming a pilot.
Hutchins was tragically killed in a mid-air collision on May 17, 1945. This happened as he was trying to land a North American AT-6D-NT Texan at Merced Army Air Field. He was set to graduate from flight school the following week.
Jackie Cooper
One of Hutchens’s co-stars was much more fortunate. Jackie Cooper served in the South Pacific during WWII. After the war, Cooper was in the Navy Reserves until 1982. He retired with the rank of Captain and also received the Legion of Merit. Jackie Cooper was interred at Arlington National Cemetery after his passing in 2011.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1937 and was called to active duty in April of 1942. His first assignment on active duty was at Fort Mason, California. He was to serve as a liaison officer of the Port and Transportation Office. On May 15, 1942, he was assigned to AAF Public Relations and subsequently to the 18th AAF Base Unit (Motion Picture Unit) at Culver City, California.
On January 14, 1943, Reagan was promoted to first lieutenant. He was subsequently sent to the Provisional Task Force Show Unit located in Burbank, California. Reagan later returned to the 18th AAF Base Unit. After completing this duty, the actor was promoted to captain on July 22, 1943.
In January 1944, the future two-term US President was ordered to travel to New York City to participate in the opening of the Sixth War Loan Drive. This drive campaigned for the purchase of war bonds. By the end of the war, Reagan’s unit had produced nearly four hundred training films for the Air Force. He left active duty on December 9, 1945, as an Army captain.
Cesar Romero
On October 12, 1942, Cesar Romero enlisted in the United States Coast Guard as an apprentice seaman. The future actor and television star was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations. Romero subsequently served aboard the USS Cavalier in November 1943. He would see action during the invasions of Tinian and Saipan.
Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda joined the Navy on August 22, 1942. He was 37 years old. After basic training, Fonda went to Quartermaster School. He graduated in the top 10 of his class of 200. The Oscar-winning actor was briefly assigned to the destroyer USS Satterlee as quartermaster third class.
After this, Fonda underwent the application process needed in order to become an officer. As a result of his advanced age, Fonda was commissioned at the rank of lieutenant, junior grade, instead of ensign.
Fonda assisted in the planning and execution of air operations for the Marianas, Western Carolines, and Iwo Jima campaigns. For his involvement in the planning of these missions, Fonda also was awarded a Bronze Star. Although Fonda left active duty in November 1945, he remained a reserve officer until 1948.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Douglas Fairbanks’ Naval Service began shortly prior to the entry of the United States into World War II. This was when he was appointed lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve on April 17, 1941. Later that year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt also appointed him as a special envoy to South America.
Fairbanks served on the cruiser USS Wichita during the disastrous Convoy PQ 17 operation. He was subsequently transferred to Virginia Beach, where he came under the command of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt.
Fairbanks convinced Hewitt and Admiral Ernest King (Chief of Naval Operations) of the advantages of a military deception unit. King then issued a secret letter on March 5, 1943. This letter would charge the Vice Chief of Naval Operations with the recruitment of 180 officers, and 300 enlisted men, for the Beach Jumper program.
Fairbanks and The Beach Jumpers
The Beach Jumpers’ mission was to simulate amphibious landings with a very limited force. They operated dozens of kilometers from the actual landing beaches which utilized their deception equipment. The Beach Jumpers also would act as decoys to lure the enemy into believing that they were the primary landing party.
The United States Navy Beach Jumpers performed their first mission, Operation Husky, which was the invasion of Sicily. For the remainder of the war, the Beach Jumpers conducted their dangerous, shallow-water missions throughout the Mediterranean region.
For his part in planning the diversion-deception operations, Fairbanks was awarded the United States Navy’s Legion of Merit with bronze V. Additionally, he was also awarded the Italian War Cross for Military Valor, the French Légion d’honneur, the Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the British Distinguished Service Cross.
Subsequently, Fairbanks received the Silver Star for valor displayed while serving on PT boats in Northern Africa in 1942. Additional assignments for Fairbanks included an assignment to Lord Mountbatten’s Commando staff in the UK and time aboard the USS Wichita. Fairbanks stayed in the US Naval Reserve after the war and ultimately retired as a captain in 1954.
Jackie Coogan
