Adam Driver
Adam Driver, the actor from the HBO series “Girls” and the new “Star Wars” franchise, actually had a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps. 9-11 jolted him into action, and he says that he and his friends all agreed they needed to join after that horrific terrorist attack. Ultimately, he was the only one that actually did. He thrived in the military and felt a sense of unity with his fellow marines. He even created “Arts in the Armed Forces” (AITAF), a non-profit that performs theater for all branches of the military. He liked the discipline the Marine Corps provides and looked forward to deploying, but after serving for more than two years, he injured his sternum mountain biking and was medically discharged before ever seeing any action.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The famous novelist and short story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald may be best known for his novel “The Great Gatsby,” but what you may not know is that he dropped out of Princeton University when World War I started and took a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Thinking of the possibility of his death, he was motivated to write in all of his off hours, hoping he could still leave behind a literary legacy. Fitzgerald never did make it to battle though, as the 1918 Armistice was signed just before he was set to be shipped out. His time in the service did produce a draft of what would become his hit debut novel “This Side of Paradise.”
Paul Newman
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Hoping to become a pilot, Paul Newman joined the U.S. Navy through Yale’s V-12 college training program. His hopes were crushed soon after when it was discovered that he was colorblind. Instead, he had to settle for basic training where he trained to be a rear-seat radioman and gunner for torpedo bombers. He was discharged in 1946 with military honors including the Good Conduct Medal, American Area Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He then attended Kenyon College using the GI Bill and eventually started his acting career in Broadway productions, which ultimately led to his career in television and film.