Famous Veteran :James Arness

https://www.usni.org/news-and-features/gunsmoke-actor-military-vet-james-arness-dies-at-age-88 ^ | archive | usnavalinstitute

[eastforker]

James Arness, a World War II veteran beloved by millions for his iconic portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running Western TV series “Gunsmoke,” died June 3 after a long illness.

At 6 foot 7 inches, Arness was, quite literally, a big star, towering over even the likes of his good friend and Hollywood mentor John Wayne. But it was that same impressive height that prevented Arness from fulfilling his dream of being a naval aviator in World War II—he was simply too tall for cockpit duty. As a soldier in the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Army’s Third Infantry Division, Arness took part in the storming of Anzio in 1944. He was severely wounded in the leg by German machine-gun fire, receiving the Purple Heart and an injury that would plague him for the rest of his days. Arness also was awarded the Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, and the European-Mideast Campaign Medal.

[eastforker]

Oh WOW! Since you said that I had to check my homepage. Photobucket tried holding everyone for ransom for a yearly subscription. I never paid it and for a while I had no pics on my page at all. Now I see they are back.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

>>“The Thing” was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. I went with my aunt and my mother. It scared the fool out of me. It was a long time before I would even go in a dark room.<<

I was nine years old when I went to our neighborhood theater to see The Thing. I will never forget it because both kids and adults actually ran screaming out of the theater at some point in the movie, and that scared me more than the Thing!