THE HIGHEST RANKED ACTOR

            Jimmy Stewart was one of the top actors in Hollywood when he became the first major star to enter the military before WWII.  Stewart came from a military family.  His two grandfathers had fought in the Civil War and his father had been in the Spanish-American War and WWI.  When war broke out in Europe in 1939, Jimmy figured it was his turn.  Against the wishes of his studio, he tried to enlist in 1940, but was turned down for low weight. He found a sympathetic doctor who explained that it was just his nature and when a draft notice came in February, 1941, Jimmy was ready to go.  Clearly he could have gotten a deferment, which is what his employer wanted.  At 32 he was above the limit for being a pilot, but he argued his status as a civilian pilot trumped that rule and the Army Air Force agreed and commissioned him a lieutenant on Jan. 1, 1942.  He started out as just a bauble for the AAF to show off.  He did public relations and a recruiting film that was nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.  That’s the way the studio wanted it to stay, but Jimmy wanted to get into the fight.  He spent a year training pilots and then persuaded his superiors to transfer him to England.  He was part of the 445^th Bombing Group and flew B-24 Liberators on bombing raids.  Promoted to Major in 1944, he usually led missions from the co-pilot’s seat.  He ended up flying 20 missions.  On one of those missions, a flak shell blew a large hole out of the fuselage just behind his seat.  He saw less lucky comrades blown out of the sky.  The bomber, Dixie Flyer, barely made it back, landing with two engines out.  Stewart suffered from PTSD after that close call.  He was promoted to Colonel in March, 1945, making him the rare person who went from private to colonel in just 4 years.  He ended the war with a two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the French Croix de Guerre, and several Air Medals.  After the war, he resumed his career with “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  The grittiness of his performance reflected his recent experience.  Stewart never talked about that experience and refused to make any WWII movies.  His refusal to make a movie about his WWII days got him fired by his studio.  But the older (and older looking) actor returned to the top of Hollywood and made many great movies.  He remained in the Air Force reserve, flying B-47s and B-52s for the new Strategic Air Command (which he made an eponymous movie about).  He even flew as an observer on a bombing raid in the Vietnam War.  He retired at the mandatory retirement age of 60 after 27 years of service.  By then he was a Brigadier General, the highest rank ever earned by an actor.

https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-jimmy-stewart.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart#1941-1947:_Military_service

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jimmy-stewart-ww2-mission-air-force/