[Rummyfan]

But I am also a grown-up who realizes that Wayne the man fell far short of the heroes he played on screen at the most crucial time in our history. There were a lot of better established, older Hollywood actors who threw their careers to the wind (read about Robert Montegomery some time) and laid their lives on the line for the flag that you want to wrap around Wayne. He stayed home.

Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Leslie Howard who died serving in the British forces, David Niven who served in the Royal Army and on and on.

BTW, Wayne starred with Robert Montgomery in another John Ford flick, They Were Expendable. It's a very accurate portrayal of a PT boat squadron in The Phillippines in the early months of the Pacific War. The Montgomery character is based on the real naval hero John Bulkeley.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Agreed!..... (from post 33)

[Joe 6-pack]

I was born and raised in Jimmy Stewart's hometown...that's the old county courthouse in the background...It's still there.

[wtc911]

Robert Montegomery was a PT Boat skipper in the Pacific. While based on a different PT Boat sailor, Montegomery was just being what he was...a genuine hero.

[liberalism is suicide]

Other established Hollywood actors who were WW2 vets: Eddie Albert, Robert Stack, and Tyrone Power.