Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a seaman during World War II. He worked in operations and air combat intelligence, and earned a Bronze Star and a presidential citation for his bravery. He achieved the rank of lieutenant before his discharge in 1945.
Don Rickles
Don Rickles, the insult comedian extraordinaire known as “The Merchant of Venom,” was in the Navy at the end of World War II, from 1944 through his honorable discharge in 1946. A Seaman First Class on the USS Cyrene, he sailed from Norfolk, Virginia to Papua New Guinea as the ship escorted torpedo boats, followed by convoy duty in the Philippines. Rickles would later describe one deployment, “It was so hot and humid, the crew rotted.”
Elvis Presley
During a time when Elvis’ rock & roll was being viewed as something far to provocative and outrageous, he did something surprising and enlisted in the United States Army. Although he was offered a cushy spot, safe housing, and a job entertaining the troops, he decided to enlist as a soldier just like everyone else. This earned him the respect of his fellow soldiers and others who had previously viewed him as a “detriment to society.” A lot happened while he served in Germany: his mom passed away, he met his future wife, Priscilla, and unfortunately began what would ultimately become a life-long dependency on drugs.