Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. You will probably know me best from many of the 40 movies I made. I appeared in such films as "The Guns of Navarone" (1961), "Lawrence of Arabia" (1961), "The Wrong Man" (1956), and "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1956). Before cutting my teeth in cinema, I had the honor of fighting for my country in WWII. I was primarily a major with the Royal Artillery, and in 1952 I was named a Commander of the Order of British Empire (C.B.E.) Who do you reckon I am?
2. Pat Tillman was an All-American success story. He maintained a GPA of 3.85 at Arizona State University while excelling on the football team as their star linebacker. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in May, 2002 and participated in the the earliest Iraq strikes. Later he joined the Rangers. His life would end on the battlefields in Afghanistan, as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment on April 22, 2004. How was he killed?
3. Different people have varied reasons for joining the armed services. Some are enthralled by Hollywood heroics, soldiers getting medals, and waving from a parade float through their hometown, upon their safe return (naturally with a pretty girl by their side). What motivated Jimi Hendrix, the man "Rolling Stone" named as the Greatest Guitarist of All Time, to join the Army?
4. If I asked you if you knew who Joseph Wapner is, would you know? How about if I asked if you had heard of "Judge Wapner"? Same guy. He graduated from U.S.C in 1941, and then spent 1942-1944 in the U.S. Army, fighting in the Pacific during WWII. His actions earned him a Bronze Star and he received a Purple Heart after almost being killed by a Japanese sniper. He was honorably discharged holding the rank of Lieutenant. Later in life he would host TV's, "The People's Court" for just short of 2,500 episodes (2,4840)from 1981-1993. After a brief hiatus, the show came back on in 1997.
Who replaced Joseph Wapner as the new judge?
5. Over a five decade career, Charles Durning appeared in several hundred roles in the theater, TV, and motion pictures. He was a pretty good hoofer too, and taught dancing at a Fred Astaire studio in N.Y. But the fun and games would have to wait as he joined the men fighting WWII, at the age of 20.
In which branch of the U.S. Armed Forces did the heroic Charles Durning serve?
6. Many great athletes from all sports have interrupted their careers to fight for their country. One such man was the winningest left-handed pitcher in history through the end of 2012. He won 20 games in a season 13 times, and tossed two no-hitters. Then came WWII, and he joined the Army on December 13, 1942. He was decorated for his fighting in The Battle of the Bulge as a member of the 276th Engineer Battalion, and won a Battlefield Promotion to Second Lieutenant. Can you pick this prolific and patriotic pitcher.
7. James Stewart was the first Hollywood "super star" to don the Air Force uniform during WWII. Fightin' was in his blood as his forebearers had fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. When he retired after 27 years in the Air Force in 1968, he held the rank of Brigadier General. Years later he was promoted to Major General, Ret. Which Commander-in-Chief granted that most deserved promotion?
8. Writer-cartoonist, Theodor Geisel was born March 2, 1904. He was educated in the Ivy League at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and later at Oxford University in England. When he joined the Army in 1943, he worked mostly on producing propaganda films and cartoons aimed at bolstering peace after the cessation of WWII. By what name did he later become more famous?
9. No quiz about bravery under fire would be complete without honoring the service of Audie Murphy. He told a little fib about his age in order to join the Army. By the time WWII had ended, Murphy was its most decorated soldier. He rose to first lieutenant and won 33 awards, including The Medal of Honor.
He is believed to have killed over 200 German soldiers. His story is told in the film, "To Hell and Back" (1955). What actor plays Audie Murphy in "To Hell and Back?
10. Our final honoree, one of TV's "Golden Girls", enlisted in the Marines when she was 21 years old. While in the Corps, she met and married a fellow Marine, with the surname by which she became a star. Her first job was banging away on a typewriter (remember them?), at Marine Corps HQ, in Washington D.C. She would wind up spending about two and a half years in the service, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant before being honorably discharged in September 1945.
Can you guess which Golden Girl was a grand gyrine? (That's slang for a U.S. Marine, by the way).
Source: Author
paulmallon
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
bloomsby before going online.
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