American Celebrities in the Armed Forces - 5 Quiz

Answer: William Christopher

Although William Christopher, who played Father Mulcahy on "M*A*S*H" did not serve in the military, three of his fellow actors from the show did. Jamie Farr served in an entertainment unit during the Korean War where he worked with Red Skelton and others to entertain troops in Korea and Japan. Alan Alda was a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while he was at university, so he was required to enter the armed forces when his studies here finished.

After basic training in the US Army Reserve, he served for six months as a gunnery officer in Korea. Mike Farrell served with the US Marine Corps from 1957-1959, during which time he was stationed in Japan.

Answer: Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine joined the US Navy after he graduated from high school in 1935. He was posted aboard the USS Lamberton, a destroyer/minesweeper, for six years until he was honourably discharged in 1941. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbour, he re-joined the US Navy.

At that point, he was posted aboard the USS Sylph, an anti-submarine vessel, to patrol the east coast of the Unites States. He left the Navy with another honourable discharge after the war, in September, 1945. Of the other three actors given in this question, Joe Flynn served in the US Army during WWII. Tim Conway served in the US Army in the mid-1950s. Gavin McLeod served in the US Air Force in the mid-1950s.

Answer: No

Harry Belafonte was still enrolled in high school when he dropped out in 1944 to join the US Navy. He left the Navy after WWII when he was only 19-years-old. At that point, he used his GI Bill benefits to attend The New School for Social Research in New York City. GI Bill benefits allow US military veterans to attend college and university with reduced tuition fees.

After he graduated, Belafonte's career took off in the 1950s when he started to perform in jazz clubs and movies.

Answer: Navy

When he was 37 years old, Henry Fonda enlisted in the US Navy in 1942. At that point, he had been acting in leading roles ever since "The Farmer Takes a Wife" in 1935. He had also completed "The Grapes of Wrath" in 1940, a role for which he is very well known.

When the US entered the war, he joined up to do his part aboard the destroyer USS Satterlee at the beginning of his naval career. He was discharged from active service in 1945, but remained a member of the Naval Reserve until 1948.

Answer: French

Carl Reiner was drafted into the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. When he first entered the military, he was trained as a radio operator, but was then sent to university to study French. The goal was for him to become a French language translator.

After he received his language training, he was posted to Hawaii to become a teleprinter operator. Just before he was set to ship out from that posting, he requested a move to the Special Services unit where he entertained the troops around the Pacific for the remainder of the war.

Answer: Vietnam War

Oliver Stone joined the US Army in 1967. He served with the military for about a year-and-a-half, from April that year through to November, 1968. He was first posted to active duty and was injured twice while there. He was then posted to a position that involved long-range reconnaissance before he was finally transferred to be a driver in a motorized unit.

He earned eight medals and badges, including a Bronze Star with "V" Device for the valor he showed during his service, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster which indicates that he was injured twice during combat.

Answer: 1954-1958

Best known for his role as George Jefferson in "The Jeffersons", Sherman Hemsley completed Grade Ten in Philadelphia before he dropped out of school in 1954 to join the US Air Force. This happened after the Korean war ended in 1953. He remained in the military until 1958 when he returned to Philadelphia to work with the United States Postal Service.

While working, he attended drama school in the evenings and eventually made his way to New York City to begin his acting career. After his death from lung cancer in 2012, he was given a military funeral.

Answer: California

Mathers joined the California Air National Guard in 1966 at a time when the US military draft was ongoing. He fulfilled his military obligations at home in California on US soil from 1966 to 1969. In 1969 there was a rumour going around that he had been killed in Vietnam despite the fact that he completed his entire service in the United States.

The rumour was not true, and its origin was never discovered.

Answer: No

Bob Newhart was drafted into the US Army after he finished college in 1952. Although the Korean War was going on at that time, he served his time in the United States and not in combat in Korea. During his service, he acted as a personnel manager. He was honourably discharged in 1954.

Answer: Colonel Robert Hogan

Bob Crane played Colonel Hogan in "Hogan's Heroes". He was born in Connecticut where he played the drums in a variety of bands and orchestras as he completed high school. Two years after he finished high school, he joined the Connecticut Army National Guard in 1948 where he stayed until he was honourably discharged in 1950.

At that point, he started his career in radio, then moved to guest appearances on a few shows before being hired as a regular character on the "Donna Reed Show" where he stayed until 1964. "Hogan's Heroes" began in 1965. Extra bit of trivia - the snare drum that was very pronounced in the "Hogan's Heroes" theme song was actually played by Bob Crane.