Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Isn't that funny - I rewatched that just last week. Henry Fonda was quite sharp in that one too. And that redheaded gal. Damn.
Back to Vimy - thanks for the reminder, CV32. Here's mobile arty, just after the battle:
Just dinged it a bit on takeoff, that'll buff right out.
So how did the rear gunner get out?
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Helos are (very generally speaking) remarkably slow and fragile. I remain amazed that anyone thought it a good idea to pack them with soldiers and send them into places where people are shooting at them. Seemed a good idea at the time, i guess.
5086 helicopters destroyed outright or damaged beyond repair in the American chapter of the Vietnam war. That's an expensive lesson.
5086 helicopters destroyed outright or damaged beyond repair in the American chapter of the Vietnam war. That's an expensive lesson.
Another amazing actor that served in WWII was Audie Murphy. He had to lie about his age as well as his weight to get accepted for enlistment. He performed amazing feats as a soldier and was the most decorated US soldier in WWII. He made a lot of movies after WWII.
Audie is the second soldier from the left, middle row.
Audie is the second soldier from the left, middle row.
I have heard that Chris Kristofferson was a Vietnam Huey Pilot and awarded a silver star. Not sure if true but a nice thought.
His friends say he never talks about the war.
His friends say he never talks about the war.
He volunteered to go in 1965, but the Army assigned him to a teaching position at West Point instead, so he quit to pursue his acting/songwriting career.
"I want you to know I'm an Army brat; I was a captain in the Army and my brother was a jet pilot in the Navy. So I support our troops; I identify with them. But I sure as hell don't identify with the bastards who sent them over there."
Kris Kristofferson is well-known for his country tunes and his talent on the silver screen, but if that isn't enough to impress you, his time in the Army might. Born to Mary Ann and U.S. Army Air corps officer Lars Kristofferson, Kris Kristofferson spent his early years shuffling around like any normal military child. He obtained a BA in literature from Pomona college in 1958, and later earned a scholarship to Oxford. After graduation, his family finally pressured him into joining the Army and marrying his girlfriend from high school.
Joining in 1960, Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot after completing Ranger School and eventually worked his way to the rank of Captain. During this time he continued to work on music and even formed his own band while stationed in Germany. Kristofferson was offered a teaching position in Literature at West Point, but he turned it down to focus on music. By the time his military service was done, his family disowned him for leaving the Army, and he had gone through a bitter divorce.
Kristofferson moved to Nashville where he earned money as a janitor and by flying helicopters for oil rigs. He wrote some of his most successful songs during this time, and while his own recordings of them didn't quite make it, other artists reached the charts with them. After Johnny Cash introduced him at the Newport Folk Festival, he released his first album, "Me and Bobby McGee," to great success. He continued letting other artists use his songs while he worked on his own recordings. Following his release of the album "Silver tongued Devil," Kristofferson launched his acting career with "The Last Movie."
While both his music and acting career have seen dips and turns over the years, Kristofferson is still active in both professions and has secured his position as one of the great country music stars of his time. Kristofferson was inducted into the songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1985 and has earned over 48 different BMI Country and Pop awards. He also received the Veteran of the Year Award at the American Veteran Awards in 2011, with fellow country legend and vet Willie Nelson presenting the honor. True to his straight-shooting nature, Kristofferson noted during his acceptance speech, "Maybe military service oughta be a requirement of our political leaders today."
Source - https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-kris-kristofferson.html
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Audie is kind of a sad tale, really. He was too young to do what he did, and see what he saw. He buried it with booze, and drank his way through his Hollywood career.
He never really considered himself an actor, but he wasn't above leveraging his notoriety. He did have some scruples about it, refusing to do commercials or adds for cigarette or alcohol companies, because he didn't want to have a negative impact on youth.
Pretty complicated guy. Made and lost fortunes after the war.
When it comes to his abilities as an actor, he summed it up himself after getting chewed out by a director:
"I'm working under a great handicap...no talent."
He never really considered himself an actor, but he wasn't above leveraging his notoriety. He did have some scruples about it, refusing to do commercials or adds for cigarette or alcohol companies, because he didn't want to have a negative impact on youth.
Pretty complicated guy. Made and lost fortunes after the war.
When it comes to his abilities as an actor, he summed it up himself after getting chewed out by a director:
"I'm working under a great handicap...no talent."
The Wizard
CGN Regular
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
As for actors who served their country check this out:
David Niven also served.
David Niven also served.
The Wizard
CGN Regular
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
Another actor you don't hear much about their service to a country:
In 1945, he did everything possible to get himself released early. In the end, he had some Hollywood big shots speak with Churchill to get him out so he could get on with his career, leaving his unit in mid battle.
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
So he wasn't acting when he gives you the impression that he would rather be someplace else all though the movie "Guns of Navaronne" .
The Wizard
CGN Regular
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
That does not diminish the fact that he did serve his country from 1930-1933 and 1939 to 1945(?). And as far as "the impression that he would rather be someplace else" anyone who has been in a war will tell they would rather be someplace else.
Not an actor, just an amazing soldier
Charles Hazlitt Upham, VC & Bar
His wiki page which has parts of the citations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Upham
And if you read his biography; on three separate occasions he did enough to merit the award of the VC and on three to four other occasions he did enough to win the DSO or DSC. When I was at school my girlfriends dad served in the same division in WW2. The girlfriends dad was awarded a battlefield commission so he was no slouch either. He said the whole Division held Upham in awe. Apparent no matter what the personal risk he did it. Apparently he had a habit of getting a bag of hand grenades and running around knocking out machine guns post etc etc. An incredibly tough guy. His biography reads like a Rambo movie only much tougher than Rambo. The guy would just never give up.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
One positive thing about the cold war is some of the Blofeld-quality cool sh!t that was developed. Take the Bartini-Beriev VVA-14M1P:
It swims! It flies, if only very low! It waddles along the ground like a duck!
It slowly returns to the earth at the Central Air Force Museum, just east of Moscow.
It swims! It flies, if only very low! It waddles along the ground like a duck!
It slowly returns to the earth at the Central Air Force Museum, just east of Moscow.
I have his biography. He was an awesome man and had absolutely no respect for rank unless the respect was earned. Two were colonels Jim Burrows and Kippinberger. They must have been pretty tough guys as well.
Ok, Dan, you stumped me... I'm familiar with the Lun Class Ekranoplan, but that's a different bird... Some kind of cargo/passenger Ekranoplan?!?!?
Here's the Lun, fully kitted out with a missile rack on the back:
http://2.bp.########.com/-DxGnMIZWBbQ/UYovMbn9PwI/AAAAAAAAAnU/QU-ykE-duTA/s1600/imtdI9KYgH3PN.jpg
Here's the Lun, fully kitted out with a missile rack on the back:
http://2.bp.########.com/-DxGnMIZWBbQ/UYovMbn9PwI/AAAAAAAAAnU/QU-ykE-duTA/s1600/imtdI9KYgH3PN.jpg
