Old Soldiers Quiz | People

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1. Five-star general of the (U.S.) Army Douglas MacArthur said in his farewell speech in 1951 that "... old soldiers never die, they _____" What?

Answer: just fade away

Gen. Douglas MacArthur served for an astonishing 52 years, including the Mexican Revolution, WWI, WWII and Korea. He won the Medal of Honor and was the de facto ruler of post-war Japan. Once he retired, he did largely "fade away", serving various causes and advising U.S. presidents until his death in 1964.

(There are also some jocular variants of this saying, such as "Cold warriors never die and don't fade away, either").

2. Which French general, awarded the honor of Marshal of France for his service in WWI, died while imprisoned for treason for his actions in WWII?

Answer: Petain

Philippe Petain was made Marshal of France in November 1918, hailed as one of France's greatest military heroes. After the German defeat of the French Third Republic in June 1940, Petain became prime minister of France, overturned the constitution, named himself 'Head of State' and collaborated with Germany.

After that war, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison where he died in 1951.

3. Which U.S. Marine Corps officer, after retiring in disgrace for his involvement in an international scandal, later had an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, authored many books and became a TV and radio personality?

Answer: Oliver North

Lt. Col. Oliver North served 1968-1988, including a combat tour in Vietnam where he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He served on the National Security Council from 1981-1986, when he was dismissed by Pres. Reagan. He was convicted of three felonies in 1988, but all convictions were overturned by 1991.

4. Which American film actor was the most decorated U.S. soldier of WWII?

Answer: Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy earned every U.S. combat decoration available in WWII, including the Medal of Honor. In an acting career that ran from 1948-1969, he starred in over 40 films. In later life, Murphy was one of the first to speak openly about the psychological scars that he continued to carry from his war service.

5. Which member of the British aristocracy twice served as Prime Minister after a distinguished military career where he had a hand in defeating a famous European dictator?

Answer: Arthur Wellesley

Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, commanded the allied army which defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. He served as British P.M. 1828-1830 and again for a brief period in 1834. He retired from politics in 1846 but remained Commander in Chief of the British Army until he died in 1852.

6. Which German Field Marshal later served as president of Germany?

Answer: Paul von Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg served for 50 years in the armies of Prussia, the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. After retiring in 1919, he was elected as the second President of Germany in 1925. In 1933, he appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor; when Hindenburg died in 1934, Chancellor Hitler also assumed the title of president and named himself the Fuehrer.

7. Which WWII Japanese aviator, who led the Pearl Harbor attack, later became a Christian evangelist, settled in the U.S. and wrote a book entitled "From Pearl Harbor to Calvary"?

Answer: Mitsuo Fuchida

Mitsuo Fuchida led the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Darwin and Ceylon. He led a team to Hiroshima the day after the atomic attack on that city; all of the other members of his party died of radiation poisoning but he showed no symptoms. He became a Christian in 1949 and travelled the U.S. and world as an evangelical preacher. He died in 1975 in Osaka, Japan.

8. How did Francis Gary Powers, the pilot of the U.S. U-2 spy plane shot down over the USSR in 1960, die?

Answer: In a civilian helicopter crash

Powers' last job was as a traffic helicopter pilot for radio station KGIL in Los Angeles. On August 1, 1977, his helicopter crashed after running out of fuel near Burbank, CA.

9. Which veteran of the British Army, Haganah and Israeli Defense Force, with a prominent war injury, served as Foreign Minister when the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed?

Answer: Moshe Dayan

Moshe Dayan rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and fought in WWII, the Israeli War of Independence, the Yom Kippur War and others. He lost his left eye to a sniper's bullet in WWII and wore an eye patch ever after.

10. Lieut. General Lord Baden-Powell served for 34 years in the British Army, most notably in Africa. He is better known for founding which worldwide organization that continues to this day?

Answer: Boy Scouting

Lord Baden-Powell founded Boy Scouting in England in 1907, becoming known as the Chief Scout of the World. In 2010, Scouting programs for boys and girls existed in nearly all countries with over 42 million registered members.

Source: Author wjames

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Old Soldiers Trivia Quiz

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