Posted on 07/22/2018 3:42:25 PM PDT by eastforker
In 1942, following Lombard's death, Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. Before her death, Lombard had suggested Gable enlist as part of the war effort, but MGM was obviously reluctant to let him go, and until her death he resisted the suggestion. Gable made a public statement after Lombard's death that prompted Commanding General of the AAF Henry H. Arnold to offer Gable a "special assignment" in aerial gunnery. Gable, despite earlier expressing an interest in officer candidate school (OCS), enlisted on August 12, 1942, with the intention of becoming an enlisted gunner on an air crew. MGM arranged for his studio friend, cinematographer Andrew McIntyre, to enlist with and accompany him through training.[31]
However shortly after his enlistment he and McIntyre were sent to Miami Beach, Florida, where they entered USAAF OCS Class 42-E on August 17, 1942. Both completed training on October 28, 1942, commissioned as second lieutenants. His class of 2,600 fellow students (of which he ranked 700th in class standing) selected Gable as their graduation speaker, at which General Arnold presented them their commissions. Arnold then informed Gable of his special assignment, to make a recruiting film in combat with the Eighth Air Force to recruit gunners. Gable and McIntyre were immediately sent to Flexible Gunnery School at Tyndall Field, Florida, followed by a photography course at Fort George Wright, Washington, and promoted to first lieutenants upon completion.[31]
(Excerpt) Read more at airforce.togetherweserved.com ...
iirc he requested German targets only.
Yes he was.I sat next to him at a Frank Sinatra concert(75 birthday) and we got to talking waiting on the show to start.I now know what George Goble meant by feeling like a pair of brown shoes.I went straight from the airport after flying (Co pilot in a B17)all day.The nicest thing I was wearing was my flight jacket over a set of flying overalls and I smelled like old airplane.I told him I had watched the movie 12 oclock high just one too many times and he couldnt get over that thats what I did for a living.I will never forget it.
He’s wearing the “Railroad Tracks” of a Captain at that point. At some later date he made Major.
That was an unforgettable occasion.
He’s a Captain in that photo. When he later made Major he would have sported “scrambled eggs” on the bill of his Garrison Cap.
Included one B-52 bombing raid on No. Vietnam.
He and his wife visited the wounded at a Medevac Hospital in the Mekong Delta in either Jan. or Feb. 1969.
A class officer and a class couple.
How they are missed!
My dad and a lot of other guys met and knew Gable from his time in Florida. Said he was the greatest guy you could ever want to know, had no pretense whatsoever and taught them how to tie a necktie in his signature way. Gable was still torn up about Lombard, understandably.
Stark contrast with Jeanette McDonald.
He volunteered, and flew, B-52 missions over Vietnam to avenge his nephew being shot down by the NVA.
He had the biggest “set” in Hollywood.
Ha ha ha! Love it!!
"Countifully?"
I think it says ‘Gratefully’.
It sure was.I’ve told that story 2 other times and they thought I was BS them.
I knew he flew in SAC but I didnt know he had missions up north.
My 2 older brothers were drafted in June & July 1942. The older one was assigned to a engineering battalion and was shipped to England where he was involved in D Day and the crossing of the Rhine. The next one had tried to enlist in the Army Air Corp and was turned down but after he was drafted and served basic training was assigned flight school and became a Bombardier on a B17 and shipped to Molesworth Eng where he flew 17 missions over France & German before they were shot down on Aug 15 1944 over Weisbaden Gr and spent the rest of the war as a German POW. Both bothers came home, married and had raised a family and died of old age...
I looked right there found George Carlin. Boy is it sad.
From Carlin's website:Receives three court-martial and numerous Article Fifteens (form of punishment just below court-martial). Attitude toward military service can be discerned by noting history of changes in rank: A/B, A/3c, A/2c, A/3c, A/2c, A/3c, A/B, A/3c.
Additional Information
Last Known Activity Trained as a radar technician (MOS/AFSC not known). Said he served with SAC. Enlisted 15 August 1954, and discharged 26 October 1957 as an A3C. Had a long career as a social critic, comedian, actor and writer. Passed away of heart failure in Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California, cremated remains scattered.
In 1954, at age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a radar technician and was stationed at Shreveport, Louisiana. Over the next three years, Carlin earned his high school equivalency and moonlighted as a disc jockey at a local radio station. He also received three courts-martial and numerous disciplinary punishments, according to his official Web site. After a general discharge in 1957, he took radio jobs in Boston and Fort Worth, Texas.
This disgusts me. I put on Staff Sergeant Stripes (E5) in three years and nine months.
For all of you non initiated two of those ranks do not exist now:
A/B = Airman Basic
A/3c = Airman Third Class
A/2c = Airman Second Class
Then just for kicks I looked a Warren Beatty. He intentionally joined the California National Guard in 1960 and got a Dishonorable Discharge so that he would not be drafted.
What a wonderful tribute for lives of duty well lived.
He hosted an orientation film in uniform in my Air Force Basic Training. One of those things where he made sure we knew that in spite of what we had seen in the movies he was General Stewart and we had just walked into a new reality.
Both of those guys make me wanna cry. I knew shhtbirds like that in the Navy. Very sad.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.