James – What’s in a name? We are guessing #Courage, #Justice, #Heroism and #Heart.
In honor of #RemembranceDay we are honoring 3 “James” who fought the good fight for their country! Lets look back to a time when celebrities were more than just famous and gave their country more than #Twerking and too many court dates to remember. #LestWeForget
James Doohan – Before Vancouver-born #JamesDoohan was assisting in the flight of the #Enterprise on #StarTrek, he was flying an airplane in the #CanadianAirForce as a commander. On D-Day, his #RoyalCanadianArtillery unit was assigned to land on Juno Beach. When returning to his Command Post, after his liaison with the unit’s Regimental Survey Officer, Lieutenant Doohan was machine-gunned and took eight bullets: three in his hand; smashing his middle finger. Four in his leg, and one in his chest. The one shot in his chest would have proved fatal if not for a silver cigarette case he had in the breast pocket of his uniform.
“Ah’m givin’ ‘er uhl sheh’s gut, Cap’n!“, was surely something this war hero uttered well before his time as #Scotty on #StarTrek. When asked by #GeneRoddenberry what accent to give the engineer, he chose Scottish, for Scotland’s numerous engineering accomplishments, which he witnessed first hand during the war and his own ancestry. James Doohan is quoted as saying, “That’s the responsibility of all actors: to keep your character as vibrant as possible. I just live my life and I like my characters to live that life, too. At least Scotty, anyway, because Scotty is the closest to Jimmy Doohan that I’ve ever done.”
A toast, to this gentleman, talent and hero. Bartender, one “Beam me up, Scotty” (Jim Beam, 7-Up and Glenlivet single malt scotch). Cheers!
James Arness – Before hitting the trail of the #AmericanWest, #JamesArness was on the coast of the #Mediterranean. His portrayal of #Marshall #MattDillon on the hit series #Gunsmoke was most certainly influenced by his time trying to keep the peace during #WW2.
Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, but him standing 5 inches above what was the limit for aviators ended that dream. Instead, he was called for the Army and reported to #FortSnelling, #Minnesota in March 1943. Arness served as a #rifleman (of course!) with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at #Anzio, #Italy.
On January 29, 1945, having undergone surgery several times, James Arness was honorably discharged. His wounds continued to bother him, and in later years he suffered from chronic leg pain, which sometimes hurt when mounting a horse. His decorations include the #BronzeStarMedal, the #PurpleHeart, and the World War II Victory Medal
We are certain his horse felt honored!!
James Stewart – Known for his boyish good-looks, his drawl middle-America accent and playing characters with strong morals and high ideals, #JamesStewart was America’s “every man”, a real national treasure. If portrayals of American icons #CharlesLindberg (“The Spirit of St. Louis”), #GlennMiller (“The Glenn Miller Story”) and #MontyStratton (“The Monty Stratton Story”) didn’t make him an American icon, his love for his country and her freedom did.
Stewart may have been a 4-F as #GeorgeBailey (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) “on account of his ear” and a farmer turned anti-Nazi rebel as Martin Breitner (“The Mortal Storm”), but in actuality he was the first major Hollywood star to enlist in the #AmericanArmedForces. He could have taken an easy desk job, and had a damn good excuse too – he failed the army’s weight and height requirements, but like the characters he played on the screen, when Stewart believed in something he through his whole mind, body and soul into it. He joined the #ArmyAirCorp as a combat pilot.
Although many were against risking the life of a beloved celebrity, he insisted on defending his country just like the every one else. He was deployed to active duty in England as his squadron’s leader and lead many battles against the Nazi’s, including “The Battle of Berlin”/”Black Thursday”. Following WW2 Stewart remained in the #AirForceReserve for an additional 22 years, worked on a military base during the Korean War, and even flew a non-combat mission in Vietnam. By the time James Stewart finally retired, he had reached the rank of Brigadier (one-star) General. (But we will go ahead and give him 4)
