John Glenn
John Glenn is most famous for being the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth, having ultimately completed three orbits in 1962. As a US Marine pilot, Glenn was selected in 1959 for Project Mercury Astronaut Training. He was initially the backup pilot for Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus” Grissom, who both made the first orbital flights. Glenn completed his three orbital flights around the Earth aboard the Friendship 7. After serving both the Marines and Nasa, Glenn ran for the US Senate and served as a Senator from the state of Ohio.
Kirk Douglas
Izzy Demsky took the name Kirk Douglas just before he joined the Navy in 1941, shortly after the U.S. entered World War II. He served in anti-submarine warfare as a gunnery and communications officer. Douglas suffered abdominal injuries as the result of the dropping of an accidental depth charge, and he was subsequently medically discharged in 1944.
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney was one of the highest paid actors from the late 1930s through early 1940s. In 1944, he was drafted, and the Army put him to work entertaining World War II troops on radio and the stage. He was even awarded a Bronze Star for his performances in combat zones. Rooney also was awarded several other medals for his military service, include the Army Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
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.