Posted on 10/07/2016 5:21:51 AM PDT by DFG
Jimmy Stewart suffered such extreme PTSD after being a fighter pilot in World War II that he acted out his mental distress during 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Stewart played George Bailey in the classic movie and channeled his anger and guilt into the scenes where he rages at his family. Stewart was haunted by 'a thousand black memories' from his time as an Air Force commanding officer that he took with him back to Hollywood after the war. Pilots who flew with him said that became 'Flak Happy' during World War II, a term to describe what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The book Stolen Valor discusses the origin of PTSD.
Jimmy Stewart’s war record included 20 combat missions as command pilot over enemy territory, including raids deep into Germany to Berlin. His missions included bombing raids to Berlin, Brunswick, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Schweinfurt. His most memorable mission, Stewart served as the flight leader of a 1000 plain raid to Berlin. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of Colonel. After the war he remained with the US Air Force Reserves and was eventually promoted to Brigadier General in 1959. In 1966, he participated in a bombing strike in Vietnam, as an observer on a B-52 bomber. He retired from the Air Force in 1968 and received the Distinguished Service Medal and ultimately, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
DOES NOT SOUND LIKE SOMEONE WHO WAS FLAK HAPPY!!!!
Another error the author made was calling it the Air Force. In WW II it was the Army Air Corps.
OMG! Such bullsh!t should not be proffered for public consumption.
Mussolini Italians...begone!
Fighter pilot?
The author didn’t do basic research
:: In WW II it was the Army Air Corps ::
Within which my father-in-law served...may God rest his soul.
Having said that , Jimmy Stewart was a great man.
Here he is flying the B-58 Hustler....
He was a great man, born here in my hometown of Indiana, Pa. His statue is in front of the county courthouse and the small museum dedicated to him is right next door from there. A bank sits across the street where the Stewart Hardware stood. Jimmy is a well-loved figure around here, and the town is just as small-town and family-friendly as it was when he was growing up here.
Oh, and a lot of that article sounds like bull cookies to me! :-)
Wasn’t it revealed only a decade or so ago that he was on board TWO combat missions over Vietnam?
How about he was just a great actor?
Technically it became the US Army Air Forces from June, 1941, the United States Air Force in 1947.
People who perform their duties flawlessly can still develop PTSD.
I wonder if the book is as poorly written as that article?
I can remember reading or watching somewhere (maybe on TCM) a few years ago a discussion about how that generation of actors (James Stewart, Eddie Albert, Ernest Borgnine, and many others) who served in World War II and how that time in the military influenced them and their work. Some very interesting observations were made concerning all of this.
Actually, after June 20, 1941, it was the U.S. Army Air Forces.
I should have read all of the comments before posting.
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