In honor of Veterans Day, here are 25 celebrities who have served our country!
Drew Carey served in the US Marine Corps before “The Drew Carey Show” and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
The King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army in 1958 and was even stationed in Germany! He died on August 16th 1977.
Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, was responsible for feeding hundreds of soldiers daily over in Germany. It may have been the beginning of his future success with Wendy’s! Dave passed way in 2002 due to liver cancer.
Laurence Tureaud served in the Military Police Corps throughout the 70’s.
“The Hangover” actor Rob Riggle is currently still a Lt Colonel in the United Marines Corps. He served in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Johnny Carson’s sidekick on the “Tonight Show”, Ed McMahon was a Marine Colonel and an aviator in World War II and Korea. McMahon passed away in 2009 due to ailing health problems.
Orville Richard Burrel, or better known as Shaggy, joined the Marines in 1988 and served in the Gulf War.
The famous culinary master, Julia Child, was an American Spy! Can you imagine? She worked during World War II for the Office of Strategic Services (similar to the CIA). She was assigned in 1944 to South East Asia. Julia passed away on August 13th 2004 due to kidney failure.
Jazz singer Tony Bennett actually started his career in the army. He was called to the army in 1944 during World War II. While in Germany and France, he began to sing in a military band.
Before becoming the New York Yankees owner and known as ‘The Boss”, George Steinbrenner was a second lieutenant in the US Air Force in Columbus, Ohio. George passed away on July 13th 2010 due to a heart attack.
MC Hammer joined the Us Navy for three years before becoming a celebrity.
Established Hollywood star, Clint Eastwood was in the US Army during the Korean War.
Actor James Earl Jones joined the ROTC program at the University of Michigan. By the end of the summer in 1953, he was commissioned as second lieutenant and later earned the rank of First Lieutenant.
Forbes co-founder, Malcolm Forbes won a Bronze star for his military service in WWII. He served in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. His magazine now grosses over $150 million dollars. Forbes died on February 24th 1990 of a heart attack. His net worth ranges from $400 million to $1 billion dollars!!
U.S Representative, Charles Rangel dropped out of high school at 16 years old and enlisted in the army serving from 1948 to 1952 during the Korean War.
Former President, George H.W Bush enlisted in the Navy at the age of 18 years old. Bush Sr was a Navy pilot who flew an impressive 58 missions during WWII. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery after his plane was shot down by the Japanese.
Before becoming a “Law & Order-SVU” detective, Ice-T served in the army from 1979 to 1983.
Former Vice President, Al Gore enlisted in the Army in 1969 as an Army Private and was sent to fight in Vietnam despite his opposition to war.
Before playing for the San Antonio Spurs, David Robinson was an officer in the US Navy.
Entertainer Harry Belafonte was in the US Navy during WWII.
Former player of the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Tillman left the NFL to enlist in the Army following the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks. He was deployed to Afghanistan and was killed by friendly fire in August 2004.
Thank you all (even those not mentioned and those who aren't celebrities) for risking your lives to serve our country!
