[eastforker]

In April, 1947 he enlisted, just a month after his seventeeth birthday. Steve was not a model Marine at first. He was sentenced to fourty-one days in the brig (the first twenty-one on bread and water) for allowing a weekend pass to drag into two weeks and then fighting with the shore patrol when they went to pick him up. He would redeem himself later on, however. During a training excercise in the Arctic, a transport ship struck a sandbank and flung several tanks and their crews into the freezing water. Many Marines drowned immediately, unable to get out of their tanks. McQueen jumped into the Actic water personally saved the lives of five men, who were almost frozen to death. For this act of heroism Steve McQueen was chosen to be part of the Honor Guard protecting Harry S. Truman's yacht. He was honorably discharged April, 1950.

[Davy Crocket]

Another great American Hero!

[chajin]

McQueen effectively portrayed a sarcastic sailor in 1920s China in the movie The Sand Pebbles, probably drawing on his USMC experiences.

[Sacajaweau]

Pretty interesting life/guy.

The guy is a doll...Watch Wanted Dead or Alive every chance I can and I'm 75. Age is not a deterrent.

[SkyPilot]

He became a born again Christian before he died. The Rev. Billy Graham knew him, and visited him while he was undergoing cancer treatments.

The Untold Story of Steve McQueen: How the 'King of Cool' Met the 'King of Kings'

[Don Corleone]

They are running Wanted Dead or Alive on cable every afternoon.

[MuttTheHoople]

Sounds like a Chesty Puller Marine.

“Take me to the Brig. I want to see the “real Marines”.

– Major General Chesty Puller, USMC – while on a Battalion inspection.

[mylife]

Working as a Carnie will make ya mean.. LOL

[bobby.223]

The brig? So Steve spent some time in a real ‘Cooler’, (shameless ‘The Great Escape’ movie ref. there!), earlier in life!

[SharpRightTurn]

This has been a good series of postings, eastforker. Thanks.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"McQueen worked in a brothel as a towel boy for a time."

Art imitates life. McQueen played a John in The Reivers who is in love with one of the prostitutes in a brothel. I just rewatched it a couple weeks ago for the first time in 30 years. What a great movie!

[TADSLOS]

The first movie I remember going to as a kid was The Magnificent Seven. It had a profound impact on me and Steve McQueen was just one cool cowboy!

[HereInTheHeartland]

Bullitt is a fantastic movie!

[Kickass Conservative]

My not too exciting Steve McQueen story.

When I was about 19, a Friend and I went to a Motocross Park in Valencia CA to ride our Dirt Bikes. My Girlfriend at the time came along with us.

It was the middle of the Week and there weren’t many people there. We were riding on the biggest Motocross Track there and the only other people on the Track were an “old” guy and his Son.

The guy was riding a 250 Bike and he lapped me easily. I had a Yamaha YZ 250 was barely able to keep up with his Kid who was on a 125. My Buddy was riding a Husky 250 and it bogged down and died on one of the turns.

I stopped to help him get going and the old guy pulls up and tells us to get out of the way (which we were attempting to do). The old guy rides off and my Buddy and I look at each other and say, wow, that dude sure is an A Hole.

We get my Buddy’s Bike off the track and walk it back to my El Camino so we can change out the Plug. As we’re working on the Bike, there is a Mustang with Bike Trailer across from us. The old guy an his Son pull up and take off their Helmets. Yep, it was Steve McQueen and his son Chad.

I thought my Girlfriend was going to faint. LOL
Of course my Buddy and I felt like idiots.

Fast forward many years. My B-I-L lived and worked in Malibu. Turns out he and Chad McQueen have been Friends for years. Small world.

[\/\/ayne]