Patriotism

Aside from modeling my patriotism around my forefathers who fought in the American Revolution against the tyranny of the British king, I also model my patriotism around these men, some of whom are British.

This lists but a few, but from this group, you will find medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor.

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

Neville Brand After five weeks of infantry training, and an unsuccessful attempt at Officers Candidate School, the twenty-four-year-old former shoe salesman departed for the European Theater of Operations on December 9th, 1944, and arrived there on December 16th. Relatively little is known of his nine months and nineteen days overseas, but his official military records reflect that Neville Brand participated in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central European campaigns, and received the Silver star while convalescing at the 21st General Hospital for gallantry in combat. His other awards and decorations are the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the European/African/Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. In a rare 1966 interview in which he consented to speak of his wartime service, Brand recalled how he earned his Silver Star when his unit came under intense fire from German machine guns located within a hunting lodge. "I must have flipped my lid," he said, for "I decided to go into that lodge." Disregarding his own safety, he worked his way around to the rear of the lodge/command post, burst in through the back and single-handedly dispatched the enemy within.
Later, on April 7th, 1945, exactly one month and a day before the official German surrender, Sergeant Brand was wounded in action by the Weser River. Felled by a gunshot to his upper right arm, and pinned down by withering enemy ground fire, Brand lay there slowly bleeding to death. "I knew I was dying," he said, "It was a lovely feeling, like being half-loaded." Rescued and treated, Brand was evacuated to a military hospital and, on September 17th, 1945, he departed for the United States. Less than a month later, Staff Sergeant Brand was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.



Steve McQueen served honorably during World War II in the U.S. Marine Corps.



Jack Palance was in the U.S. Army Air Corps. 455th bomb group. He required facial reconstruction from terrible injuries received in 1943 when his B-17 crash landed in Britain.



James Arness fought in the battle at Anzio, Italy during World War II where he was badly wounded by machine gun fire received to his right leg. He received a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.




Alec Guinness (Star Wars~Bridge over the River Kwai) operated a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.


James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.


Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.


David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy.


James Stewart entered the Army Air Force as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty. Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre, and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950's.


Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II. Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s. Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.


Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.


Earnest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.


Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.


Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29s in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan.


George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.


Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.


Brian Keith served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabaul in the Pacific.


Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded earning the Purple Heart.


John Russell enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942, where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.


Robert Ryan was a U.S. Marine who served with the OSS in Yugoslavia.


Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Bay City, Texas who played cowboy parts?

Murphy: Most decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

Let us not forget the heroic women that shouldered our nations industries. They who built our tanks, our planes, our ships, our guns, our bombs, and our ammunition. All the while, raising our grandfathers children - Our fathers, our mothers, our uncles, our aunts, and our cousins. Those many thousands known as, Rosie the Riveter.

So, the real heroes of the silver screen acted like heroes when compared to the hollyweirds today who spew their anti-American drivel. Can you imagine these stars of yesteryear saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?