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Stars Who Served Our Country! Jimmy Stewart, Tom Selleck and More Armed Forces Veterans

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Nov 6, 2024 5:40 pm·

By SCOTT BARWICK

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On Veteran’s Day, we pay our respects to the celebs who made their nation proud.

1 of 10

Jimmy Stewart

“I was, in many ways, far happier in the service than I was at any time in my life,” reflected Jimmy of his time in the Army Air Corps’ 445th Bomb Group, in which he flew 20 combat missions during WWII. “Closeness and camaraderie with all those wonderful guys … Feeling I was part of a whole, part of a divine scheme, with an obligation to do my best … It wasn’t playacting then. I was living it.”

2 of 10

Bea Arthur

Although she’d later understate her service, this Emmy winner became one of the first members of the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve back in 1943. “I heard that enlistments for women were open, so decided the only thing to do was to join,” said Bea.

3 of 10

Tom Selleck

“I’m a veteran. And I’m proud of it,” says Tom, a sergeant in California’s National Guard during the Vietnam War. “We learned a lesson as a country that we need to welcome our troops home. Whatever [the] mission, we need to thank them.”

4 of 10

Morgan Freeman

After enlisting in 1955, Morgan served “three years, eight months and 10 days” in the Air Force, saying “the values that I learned during that time — hard work, loyalty, sacrifice — have stayed with me my whole life.”

5 of 10

Drew Carey

“I play down my time in the Marine Corps all the time,” says Drew of serving from 1980 to 1986. “[But] they taught me to have pride in myself, to be responsible, to take care of people … all the good things.”

6 of 10

Humphrey Bogart

At the tail end of WWI, in 1918, Humphrey couldn’t wait to fight in Europe, and so he joined the Navy. But the Oscar winner later admitted he was a bit naive. “What does death mean to a kid of 17?” he said. “The idea of death starts getting through to you when you’re older.”

7 of 10

Betty White

Before The Golden Girls, Betty was just a 19-year-old doing her part in WWII as a member of the American Women’s Voluntary Services. “I was driving a PX truck to the various gun emplacement outfits that had been set up around Hollywood,” said Betty. “I’d drive up there with shaving cream, toothpaste and that kind of thing [for the soldiers]. But I was in the war effort!”

8 of 10

Elvis Presley

During his time in the Army’s 3rd Armored Division from 1958 to 1960, Elvis shrugged off some GI blues to be all he could be. “[People] thought I couldn’t take it and so forth, and I was determined to go to any limits to prove otherwise, not only to the people who were wondering, but to myself.”

9 of 10

Henry Fonda

In 1943, he’d declare, “I don’t want to be in a fake war in a studio” and joined the Navy for WWII. Yet, Henry revealed, a USO tour years later for troops serving in Vietnam was “the most rewarding experience of my life, and I will forever be grateful [for it].”

10 of 10

Mel Brooks

“I wasn’t much of a soldier, but I did my job,” said Mel, whose time as an Army combat engineer in WWII included participating in the Battle of the Bulge. “The Army didn’t rob me of my youth; it really gave me quite an education. If you don’t get killed in the Army, you can learn a lot. You learn how to stand on your own two feet.”

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