Walt Disney
The beloved Walt Disney contributed to the military and American war effort in a unique way. When he first attempted to join the service in 1918 to fight in World War I, the U.S. Army turned him down because he was only 16 at the time. Disney and his creative ways won out, as he forged the date on his birth certificate and was able to join the American Ambulance Corps, a division of the Red Cross. Just days after the war ended, his outfit was shipped off to France where he was assigned to an evacuation hospital and drove trucks and ambulances. He also served in the actual military during World War II. This time, his true talents were put to use creating propaganda cartoons and instructional videos for soldiers. The special unit was appropriately called the “Walt Disney Training Films Unit.”
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett got his first singing job with a military band. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944 and served in the “Blood and Fire” division in Germany and France. While in Europe, he was demoted from corporal to private due to words exchanged with an officer over Bennett inviting a black friend to eat with him. He was eventually transferred to special services and studied music before returning to the United States. He used his GI Bill benefits to study voice.
Alan Alda
For Alan Alda, who served in the U.S. military and played Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series “M*A*S*H,” it seems as if art imitates life. In real life, Alda joined the U.S. Army Reserve after graduating from Fordham University. He served for six months as a gunnery officer in Korea just after the Korean War. As Captain Hawkeye Pierce, he played a medic stationed overseas during the Korean War. Alda was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards for his role on “M*A*S*H” and won five.