Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone joined the Army in 1967 and specifically requested combat duty. He fought in Vietnam and was wounded in action twice, earning the Bronze Star with “V” device, which he received after conducting “extraordinary acts of courage under fire,” and a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster. His movie “Platoon” was heavily influenced by his combat experiences in Vietnam.
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American actor famous for movies in the 1950s and 1960s. However before he became famous in Hollywood, he served in the U.S. Navy. He enlisted in the Navy after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, where he was inspired by Cary Grant’s role in the 1943 film “Destination Tokyo” to join the Pacific submarine force. He was even at Tokyo for the surrender of the Japanese and was able to witness it from the signal bridge of his submarine. He went on to study acting using the GI Bill once he was discharged.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura is a former professional wrestling and media personality who had distinguished career as a member of the U.S. Navy underwater demolition team during the Vietnam war. He did not see any active combat. He was frequently referred to as a Navy Seal, but he never completed the final training to become an actual Seal. He left the Navy and Vietnam in 1975 and started to build up his career as a wrestler from there.