20 Hollywood Stars Who Served In The Military

He served for four years and during his service, he developed a love for martial arts. He went on to use that passion to propel him to fame in Hollywood. 

In the air force, he became an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman and served this position for four years. In 1959, he left and received the title, “Airman 1st Class.” 

Sean Connery served in the Navy for three years until he was discharged due to a stomach ulcer that was too life-threatening to continue his service. 

Before his time in the Marine Corps, he had long hair and cut it into the style he has today when he enlisted. He also used not to need glasses until he was older, and they became a part of his image. 

When he finished military school, he decided not to pursue military service and went to university instead. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned his bachelor’s degree in English. 

After his service, it took him some time to gain musical success, 20 years to be exact. Once he made it big, he became known worldwide. He also is an advocate for marijuana legalization. 

He had one scary incident during his service when he caught a ride with a Navy plane to visit his family at home. The plane had engine trouble, and they had to make an emergency water landing. They had to swim a mile to land, and after the experience, he found out the crash site was a breeding area for sharks. 

In 2004, Gal won the title of Miss Israel and then enrolled in the army at 20-years old. Clearly, there are few things she can’t do. How is she so perfect? 

He was arrested for driving a stolen car, and he had the option to go to jail or serve in the army. He chose to enlist and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Kentucky. He received an honorable discharge for being unsuitable. 

During her service, she was a truck driver and typist. She worked her way up the ranks to become a staff sergeant, and in 1945 she was honorably discharged. 

He served for four years as a hospital corpsman and physical therapist for injured Korean War soldiers. In 2011, he honored by the Navy and received the title of honorary chief petty officer. 

He was only required to serve for one year, and during that year, he was put in military prison for sneaking off base to participate in Junior Mr. Europe. He wanted to complete so badly that he didn’t think about the consequences, but luckily he won the competition. 

His drill sergeant in the Military Police Corps named him “Top trainee of the cycle.” He later went on to become a squad leader. 

In 1965, Sellek was one of 4,000 national guard members called to put an end to the Watts riots in Los Angelas. He is now a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. 

He joined the Marines in 1990 and served in Kosovo, Liberia, and Afghanistan. He retired after serving for 23 years! Riggle went back to Iraq as a correspondent for the Daily Show to entertain the troops. 

He was useful during the Cold War as a Morse coder. He helped the Security Service Unit, and he was the first American to find out Joseph Stalin died. 

Hefner worked as an infantry clerk and writer for the military newspaper. He also drew cartoons for the paper, and many people were fond of his work. Who knew he would become one of the most well-known bachelors! 

In 1979, Ice-T enlisted int he army and served for four years in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. He got his life together and after his service, he pursued a career as a DJ and rapper. 

Elliott says that his time in the military gave him leadership skills and discipline that have helped him throughout his career. 

He completed a training program at the Virginia Military Institute before being deployed. His main job was to defuse landmines set up by enemies. 

After basic training, he was assigned to the medical corps in Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.  While he served, he was also taking acting classes in New York City. 

Harry was deployed to Iraq, but it was decided that he would be too much of a target to join his troops on the front line. After, he was deployed to Afghanistan and left the army in 2015. 

Alda trained at Fordham University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He spent six months in the US Army Reserve before being sent to Korea. Some of his experiences from his army service were used for M*A*S*H. 

Jones was never deployed, but he served in the US between 1953 and 1955. He worked his way up the ranks to become a first lieutenant. 

Instead of being a Navy pilot, he became a radioman and rear gunner. He served in the Pacific theatre and qualified as a torpedo bomber. Newman earned the rank of Aviation Radioman Third Class and was sent to Barbers Point, Hawaii. 

MC Hammer served with the Patron Four Seven of NAS Moffett Field in Mountain View, California. He was a Petty Officer Third Class Aviation Store Keeper. After three years of service, he was honorably discharged. 

Hemingway finally managed to make his way to Milan, Italy, where he was taken to a munitions factory explosion site. He received the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery after he helped Italian soldiers get to safety despite being wounded himself. 

Douglas served for three years before being medically discharged for war injuries. He returned to New York and decided to pursue a career in acting. 

Hope headlined 57 tours in six different wars. He was named an honorary veteran by the United States Armed Forced by president Bill Clinton. 

Robinson was never deployed overseas because he was held in court for not moving to the back of the army bus. In 1944, he was honorably discharged. 

He served for two years in the 3rd Armored Division. During his service, Elvis was introduced to amphetamines by his sergeant which started his life-long drug battle. 

It wasn’t until 1942 that Reagan was called to active duty, but he wasn’t allowed to go overseas due to poor eyesight. He served for three years and left with the rank of captain. 

He served as a basic airman but was bored with the simple tasks he was given. He somehow faked a mental illness to be discharged. 

He became a fighter pilot but was never assigned overseas because the war ended before he qualified. After the war ended, he went back to school to finish his degree in economics. 

Dimaggio rose the rank of sergeant but never went to combat. He spent most of his service as a physical education trainer, and after two years, he was released on medical discharge for stomach ulcers. 

He was later reassigned to the Army’s Special Services branch to put on performances for the troops. At one of his shows, he had to perform for the soldiers who abused him. He was discharged in 1945 and earned the American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. 

During his service, Salinger learned French and German to help assist with prisoner interrogation. He stayed in Germany six months after the war with the Counterintelligence Corps for “Denazification” duty. His army experience greatly influence his many of his books. 

Knotts served for three years and was discharged in the rank of Technician Grade 5. He received the World War II Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, to name a few. 

On the ship, Carson served as a midshipman and after the war ended, he went on to be a communications officer who decoded encrypted messages. During his service, he liked to make everyone on the ship laugh with jokes and magic tricks. 

After the war ended, he returned to New York to play baseball and was a catcher. He went on to be a manager and coach for the Yankees.