President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> embellished details while telling a story about the disappearance of his uncle during <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/world-war-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World War II</a>, suggesting that he had been eaten by &#8220;cannibals&#8221; after getting “shot down” in Papua New Guinea. 
Biden, who made the comments during a Wednesday visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania, was referring to his uncle <a href="https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001nzWi4EAE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ambrose Finnegan</a>, a second lieutenant who served in the Fifth Air Force during the war. Finnegan went missing on May 14, 1944, while on a flight from Los Negros Island to Nadzab Airfield in New Guinea. 
“He got shot down in New Guinea and they never found the body because there used to be — there were a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea,” Biden <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/us-news/biden-suggests-uncle-eaten-by-cannibals-in-new-guinea-but-military-says-his-wwii-plane-lost-at-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during his speech to steelworkers. 
Biden, 81, told a similar story earlier in the day when visiting a World War II memorial in Scranton. 
“He got shot down in an area where there were a lot of cannibals at the time,” the president said. “They never recovered his body, but the government went back when I went down there and they checked and found some parts of the plane.”
Biden&#8217;s comments about the disappearance of his uncle do not align with official government records about the crash, which suggest that the plane went down due to mechanical failure and that three of the men onboard drowned.
“For unknown reasons, this plane was forced to ditch in the ocean off the north coast of New Guinea,” a U.S. military <a href="https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001nzWi4EAE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on the incident says. “Both engines failed at low altitude, and the aircraft&#8217;s nose hit the water hard. Three men failed to emerge from the sinking wreck and were lost in the crash. One crew member survived and was rescued by a passing barge. An aerial search the next day found no trace of the missing aircraft or the lost crew members.”
New Guinea was a key battleground during World War II as the Japanese sought to control the island for access to Australia, prompting fierce fighting through the island&#8217;s remote jungles. The island also has a history of cannibalism, with Michael Rockefeller, the son of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, <a href="https://nypost.com/2014/03/15/how-a-young-rockefeller-died-at-the-hands-of-cannibals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> being eaten by a tribe of cannibals on the island in 1961.
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His remarks on Wednesday were not the first time he had made up details related to his relatives&#8217; military service. During a speech in December 2022, Biden said that he got his uncle, Frank Biden, the Purple Heart for service during World War II.
Biden claimed that as vice president, he awarded his uncle the Purple Heart for action during World War II in the Battle of the Bulge, saying the ceremony took place with his father and uncle. However, both Biden’s father and uncle had been dead for years before Biden became vice president in 2009. There was also no evidence that Biden’s uncle had been awarded the Purple Heart for his service.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-RETURN

Biden Claims Uncle’s Body Was Never Found After WW2 Plane Crash Because Of ‘A Lot Of Cannibals’

Executive

Joe Biden

Pennsylvania

Politics

World War II

The granddaughter of <a href="https://apnews.com/008575741d9345eea438430705d293ed/Woman-in-iconic-V-J-Day-Times-Square-kiss-photo-dies-at-92">the nurse featured</a> in an iconic photo of her being kissed by a random sailor after the announcement of the end of World War II said her grandmother was “proud of the image” and “never felt violated.”
On V-J Day in 1945, dental nurse Greta Zimmer, who was Jewish and had fled Austria to escape Hitler and the Nazis in 1939, was walking through Times Square in New York City when a U.S. Navy sailor, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/obituaries/george-mendonsa-dead.html">most likely</a> George Mendonsa, grabbed her, bent her backwards and kissed her. Famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the photo, which was published a week later in Life magazine and immediately became immortal. Zimmer later married Mischa Friedman and had a son and daughter.
But RimaAnn Nelson, the VA assistant secretary for health for operations, sent a memo in February to the Veterans Integrated Services Network Directors saying the photo should be removed and replaced at all VA facilities because it “depicted a non-consensual act,” and “is inconsistent with the VA’s no tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and assault.” The memo stated that the photo needed to be removed to maintain the department’s “respectful, safe and trauma-informed” workplace.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EXCLUSIVE: 
The Department Of Veterans Affairs just BANNED the V-J Day kiss photo from all department facilities.
&quot;To promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness… your cooperation is vital.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MZfNHbpV76">pic.twitter.com/MZfNHbpV76</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1765005503040499813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After backlash ensued, VA Secretary Denis McDonough later tweeted, “Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities — and we will keep it in VA facilities.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities &#8211; and we will keep it in VA facilities. <a href="https://t.co/dYSikLxHAJ">pic.twitter.com/dYSikLxHAJ</a>
&mdash; Secretary Denis McDonough (@SecVetAffairs) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecVetAffairs/status/1765030481299460188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Caroline Branin, Friedman’s granddaughter, told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13161023/Granddaughter-nurse-kissed-Time-Square-iconic-V-J-Day-photo-proud.html">The Daily Mail</a>, “As my grandmother told it to me, she was at work and she went downstairs at lunchtime to see what was happening. George grabbed her and kissed her. It was a split second thing and the photographer just happened to be there. She never felt violated or anything like that &#8230; She was always very proud of the image and she thought it was two young people celebrating in the street &#8230; My grandma signed images of the photo up until she died. She was proud to be an American citizen. She was a refugee from Austria and so the end of the war marked more to her than for everyday people.”
“She never felt it was something inappropriate,” she continued. “It&#8217;s interesting they tried to reframe historical events in today&#8217;s values. I have a picture in my house that my grandma signed and even George Mendonsa signed it. My grandma stayed in contact with George and she did parades on V-J Day with him. She never said it was anything she felt was uncomfortable.”
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“At college I had a women and gender studies teacher who showed that image and said: ‘This is a sexual assault,’” Branin recalled. “I put my hand up and said that&#8217;s actually my grandma, she didn&#8217;t view it that way. The teacher disagreed with me. I can understand the argument but for my grandmother it represented the end of the war and they&#8217;re celebrating.”
Friedman only learned about the photograph in the 1960s and immediately recognized herself. She and Mendonsa communicated in later years and became friends; she died in 2016 at the age of 92.

iconic photograph

‘She Never Felt Violated’: Granddaughter Of Nurse Kissed In Iconic WWII Photo Responds To VA’s Woke Memo

'She Never Felt Violated': Granddaughter Of Nurse Kissed In Iconic WWII Photo Responds To VA Memo Calling It 'Non-Consensual'

Kissing

U.S.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Wokeness

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it is not banning the use of the famous World War II photo showing a sailor kissing a woman in white after an internal memo directed otherwise.
The famous &#8220;V-J Day&#8221; photo shows a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a total stranger in Times Square in the immediate aftermath of the news that Japan had surrendered.
The memo last month from RimaAnn Nelson, the Veterans Health Administration’s top operations official directed VA medical facilities to &#8220;promptly&#8221; remove the photo and replace it with something more appropriate
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EXCLUSIVE: 
The Department Of Veterans Affairs just BANNED the V-J Day kiss photo from all department facilities.
&quot;To promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness… your cooperation is vital.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MZfNHbpV76">pic.twitter.com/MZfNHbpV76</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1765005503040499813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities &#8211; and we will keep it in VA facilities. <a href="https://t.co/dYSikLxHAJ">pic.twitter.com/dYSikLxHAJ</a>
&mdash; Secretary Denis McDonough (@SecVetAffairs) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecVetAffairs/status/1765030481299460188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“The photograph, which depicts a non-consensual act, is inconsistent with the VA’s no-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault,” the memo <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2024/03/05/va-reverses-plan-to-ban-iconic-wwii-kiss-photo-from-medical-sites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.
“To foster a more trauma-informed environment that promotes the psychological safety of our employees and the veterans we serve, photographs depicting the ‘V-J Day in Times Square’ should be removed from all Veterans Health Administration facilities,” the memo directed.
On Tuesday, the memo went viral on social media, sparking nearly instant backlash.
&#8220;UNAMERICAN. The Biden administration is now banning one of the most iconic photos in WW2 history, the famous Times Square kiss between a nurse and a sailor. Their rewriting of American history and American culture will not stand,&#8221; Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanZinke/status/1765035883768549392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X.
Later on Tuesday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough took to social media to reassure critics that the photo would not be banned.
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&#8220;Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities &#8211; and we will keep it in VA facilities,&#8221; McDonough said.
&#8220;VA is NOT banning this photo from VA facilities,&#8221; Veterans Affairs said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
The VA added that a memo was sent out that should not have been, and it has now been rescinded.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed the VA&#8217;s statement on Tuesday as well, saying the memo was &#8220;not sanctioned.&#8221;
“The VA is not going to be banning this photo,” Karine Jean-Pierre <a href="https://apnews.com/article/times-square-kiss-photo-veterans-affairs-memo-b24d5dba6930be867e9ac1be6dff16e5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “I can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned, and so it’s not something that we were even aware of.”
The famous photo, which also shows people spilling out of bars, restaurants, and movie theaters to celebrate the end of the war, was snapped by journalist Alfred Eisenstaedt in New York City on August 14, 1945. A Navy photojournalist also caught the moment from a different angle.
The man and woman in the photo are thought to be <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sailor-nurse-from-iconic-vj-day-photo-reunited/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Mendonsa and Greta Friedman</a>, both of whom passed away within the last decade.

The Kiss Statue at Bayshore Park.

Veterans Affairs Rescinds Memo Banning V-J Day Kiss Photo

Biden

Biden Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans

I flew to Kraków, Poland, on Saturday night and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1889-at-auschwitz-with-elon-musk-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visited Auschwitz</a> with Elon Musk on Monday.
Auschwitz is an insane experience. For those who have seen images of the Holocaust, seeing the actual structures where mass death was brought upon the Jewish people, as well as Roma homosexuals and Russian soldiers, is an astonishing demonstration of the darkness that is present and possible inside the human soul.
For those who have not visited, it is worth the visit because I think that we tend to live very easy lives — thank God, in the West and in the modern era — and we tend to look around us and see people who are generally good, people who generally believe in non-evil things.
Then you go to a place like Auschwitz and realize it actually is not all that unthinkable for the unthinkable to happen.
I had the privilege when I was younger of helping to write the memoirs of a Holocaust survivor who&#8217;d actually gone through Auschwitz-Birkenau. And the stories obviously are horrifying. 
I think there are many important points to be gained from walking through Auschwitz-Birkenau. The first is to realize that people can be made to believe nearly anything. And this holds true on the side of both the evil people and the people who are victimized by those who are evil.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1889-at-auschwitz-with-elon-musk-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
One of the things you see when you walk through Auschwitz itself, the actual complex, is a room that&#8217;s just filled with suitcases. Every person who brought a suitcase to Auschwitz thought they were going to end up unpacking that suitcase step by step. European Jewry thought that whatever was next couldn&#8217;t be what it turned out to be, all the way until the final step into the gas chambers. So when we criticize people for not having fought back, at what point were they supposed to believe the unthinkable was now thinkable? Because the unthinkable is unthinkable until precisely the moment that it becomes real. 
<div id="attachment_685765" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-685765" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-685765" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1954748985-865x576.jpg" alt="OSWIECIM, POLAND - JANUARY 23: A view of the entrance gate at the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz Birkenau on January 23, 2024 in Oswiecim, Poland. Among the attendees were participants in a symposium on anti-semitism organized by the European Jewish Association. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1954748985-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1954748985-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1954748985-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/GettyImages-1954748985.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Omar Marques/Getty Images</div>
There is very little limit to the evil that can be created in the human heart. That evil can only be masked by ideology. Ideology absolutely matters. It absolutely matters.
To truly understand what happened in Auschwitz-Birkenau, you have to understand German and European history. You have to understand European anti-Semitism. The first and most fundamental thing to understand about anti-Semitism in the modern era is that it is a conspiracy theory about power. When you read the writings of Hitler and those who preceded Hitler by 50, 60, and 70 years — anti-Semitic writings — what you see is that there&#8217;s a conspiracy theory about Jews.
These conspiracy theories assert the powerful in every industry are Jewish, that they are part of an evil conspiracy, and that the only reason they gain power is through some sort of perverse machination, and they, therefore, must be extricated; they must be destroyed. The theory of power suggested they were the exploiters, they had rigged the system on their own behalf, and, therefore, they had to be destroyed.
And that ideology, a self-justifying ideology whereby the people you&#8217;re about to kill are actually the true victimizers, breeds the victimization of Jews and is very much alive and well and with us today.
When we see places like Auschwitz-Birkenau, we think the extent of the horror is so unthinkable and so unimaginable that we tend to cut it off from the rest of human relations. We tend to think, “This is an outlier. It&#8217;s just this crazy statistical outlier.” When, in reality, it is just the culmination of a continuum theory that has been present on Earth for literally thousands of years, going all the way back to the Book of Exodus — the same remarks Pharaoh was making about the Jews, that he felt they were exhibiting rising numbers in power and a threat to the Egyptians. That same stuff was repeated by Hitler, and it&#8217;s being repeated by some people today.
One of the things Elon and I discussed at fair length was diversity, equity, and inclusion. DEI is the basic thesis that the world is driven by power dynamics, that virtually every system is a power dynamic system and that free speech is actually just a stand-in for power. That free markets are standing for power, that those who are successful in these systems are actually perpetuaters of the system for their own exploitative power.
That is a dangerous theory. The theory that power lies behind all systems exists on all sides of the political aisle.
You see people in the West marching on behalf of members of Hamas. The only rationale for LGBT people suggesting they have solidarity with people who would literally murder them the first chance they got in the Gaza Strip is this DEI theory that there&#8217;s a system of power that must be torn to the ground. That merges with anti-Semitism, because, after all, if you&#8217;re making the case that there is a group of people with disproportionate power along racial, ethnic, and religious lines, and they are, therefore, the oppressors and exploiters, that merges well with conspiratorial theories about anti-Semitism.
This is why you see all these streams crossing with the DEI Left. This is why you see Black Lives Matter protesting for “Palestine.” This is why you see people who are socialists protesting on behalf of some of the least socially responsible people on planet Earth.
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In the modern world, we have been seeing an attempt to read strength as evil and weakness as virtue. That is a despicable morality because it&#8217;s not moral at all.
In fact, it&#8217;s directly anti-Biblical. The Bible specifically says that if you&#8217;re a judge, you are not allowed to favor either the poor or the rich. Why does the Bible suggest you&#8217;re not allowed to favor the poor when the suggestion by the Left is that you&#8217;ll never favor the poor? The answer is because virtue and wealth are not necessarily connected.
I know very virtuous people who are poor. I know very virtuous people who are rich, and I know many people who are not virtuous, who are both poor and rich. And that makes a difference when it comes to world politics. If you believe the weak are inherently virtuous, that is believing the system itself has made them weak, the system must be torn down, and the people who purport to uphold the system must be destroyed.
That&#8217;s how all of this connects to visiting places like Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Ceremony Held At Auschwitz Ahead Of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Visiting Auschwitz, And Why It Matters Today

Auschwitz

Ben Shapiro

Holocaust

Jews

Opinion

Poland

Readers Pass

Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe and his men — many from the 101st Airborne Division, along with some stragglers from Pennsylvania&#8217;s 28th Infantry Division (known as &#8220;The Bloody Bucket&#8221;) and the 9th Armored &#8220;Phantom&#8221; Division — spent Christmas of 1944 in the Belgian city of Bastogne, surrounded by an ever-encroaching enemy and greatly outnumbered.
On December 22, the German commander sent word to McAuliffe, informing him that he and his troops were surrounded and demanding that they surrender. He warned the American general that if he did not surrender, the attack would be swift and merciless — and he promised that the inevitable civilian casualties would be blamed on the Americans.
McAuliffe responded to the German threat with just one word: &#8220;Nuts!&#8221; And, as promised, the German army began to tighten its grip on <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-world-war-ii-veteran-breaks-into-song-during-ceremony-honoring-his-service-in-belgium/">Bastogne</a>. Machine-gun fire and approaching tanks met any American soldier who approached the perimeter, and Junkers Ju 88 bombers flew over the city as visibility allowed. The Germans also blanketed the area with pamphlets promising relief from the hunger and frigid conditions to anyone who surrendered.
And so it was that on Christmas Eve, McAuliffe sent a letter to rally his troops:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
75 years ago this Christmas Eve, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe wrote this letter to his troops during the Battle of the Bulge. Today we remember the service members who served during the holidays both then and now and wish you a Merry Christmas! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoVeteranEverDies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoVeteranEverDies</a> <a href="https://t.co/VuYyhYqqVj">pic.twitter.com/VuYyhYqqVj</a>
— National Cemeteries (@VANatCemeteries) <a href="https://twitter.com/VANatCemeteries/status/1209458808587784192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
McAuliffe&#8217;s letter began with the heading &#8220;Merry Christmas&#8221;:
<blockquote>What’s Merry about all this, you ask? We’re fighting — it’s cold, we aren’t home. All true but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West. We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German Infantry Divisions and one German Parachute Division. These units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history; not alone in our Division’s glorious history but in World history. The Germans actually did surround us, their radios blared our doom. Their Commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance:
To the U. S. A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U. S. A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompres-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U. S. A. Troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected the German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U. S. A. Troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hour’s term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this Artillery fire would not correspond with the well known American humanity.
The German Commander
The German Commander received the following reply:
22 December 1944
“To the German Commander:
N U T S !
The American Commander”
Allied Troops are counterattacking in force. We continue to hold Bastogne. By holding Bastogne we assure the success of the Allied Armies. We know that our Division Commander, General Taylor, will say: “Well Done!”
We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
73 years ago, the US <a href="https://twitter.com/101stAASLTDIV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@101stAASLTDIV</a> was surrounded at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bastogne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bastogne</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Belgium?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Belgium</a> over the Christmas time during the December 1944 Battle of the Bulge. Here is Gen. McAuliffe&#8217;s historic Christmas letter <a href="https://t.co/BHR6MsHjMj">https://t.co/BHR6MsHjMj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WW2Nation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WW2Nation</a> <a href="https://t.co/IEpjyM3fmv">pic.twitter.com/IEpjyM3fmv</a>
— Pascal Heyman (@PascalHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/PascalHeyman/status/945012709669703680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
That night, the Junkers dropped one-ton bombs on the city of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/23/christmas-eve-snow-turned-red-with-blood/">Bastogne</a>. They destroyed a makeshift hospital, killing dozens of wounded soldiers, nurses, and medics. But McAuliffe&#8217;s men held the city, earning for the 101st Airborne Division the nickname &#8220;The Battered Bastards of Bastogne.&#8221;
General George S. Patton arrived the day after Christmas, bringing with him the necessary strength to break the siege and relieve McAuliffe&#8217;s men.

Band Of Brothers Movie Still

‘What’s Merry About All This?’: Read The Letter General Anthony McAuliffe Sent His Exhausted, Surrounded Men At The Battle Of The Bulge

Christmas

One German woman found herself and her family in the middle of what could have been a deadly skirmish, but even as the Battle of the Bulge raged just a few miles away, she demanded — and got — the Christmas truce that so many others had prayed for in vain.
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/12/24/christmas-eve-truce-1944/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elisabeth Vincken</a> left her hometown of Aachen, Germany, after Allied bombs had put an end to the family&#8217;s bakery and their home in April of 1944. She and her 12-year-old son moved to a small cottage in the Hurtgen forest — which had previously been used by her husband Hubert when he went on long hunting trips. Hubert, who was drafted into the German army, was stationed nearby.
But Elisabeth and her son were alone when, on December 16th, the bloody campaign that would later be known as the Battle of the Bulge began — and it soon became clear that her husband would not be visiting for Christmas dinner as he had planned. The weather turned then as well, and brutally cold temperatures combined with low visibility resulted in a fair number of soldiers on both sides of the conflict becoming separated from their units during combat.
Still, Elisabeth and her son had saved a fat goose — nicknamed Hermann Goring because of his girth — for dinner.
The battle was close enough that the sounds of the guns could be heard even inside the cabin, so Vincken was <a href="https://battleofthebulge.org/2023/09/12/a-bulge-christmas-truce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">immediately on her guard</a> when she heard a knock on the door on Christmas Eve.
She opened the door to find three soldiers outside — two standing and one collapsed in the snow nearby — and when they began to speak, she and Fritz realized that they were Americans. All three were armed.
&#8220;I was almost paralyzed with fear, for though I was a child, I knew that harsh law of war: Anyone giving aid and comfort to the enemy would be shot,&#8221; Fritz recalled in a later interview, noting that his mother had also been well aware of the possible consequences but had been moved to compassion when she realized the wounded American was young enough to be her son as well.
&#8220;Go get Hermann,&#8221; she told her son, and he went to fetch the goose they&#8217;d been saving to share when Hubert was able to celebrate with them, along with some potatoes.
After some trial and error, they learned that both Elisabeth and one of the American soldiers spoke French — a discovery that made communication much easier among the group. The three said their names were Jim (who spoke French), Robin, and Harry.
Elisabeth had set about tending to Harry&#8217;s wounds when another knock came — and this time, Fritz opened the door to greet four German soldiers. After exchanging greetings, the soldiers informed the Vinckens that they were lost and looking for shelter from the cold.
&#8220;Of course,&#8221; Elisabeth replied. Knowing exactly what she was risking, Elisabeth invited them in as well — but told them that they must leave their weapons outside. &#8220;You can also have a fine, warm meal and eat till the pot is empty. But we have three other guests, whom you may not consider friends.&#8221;
One of the German soldiers objected: &#8220;Who is inside? Americans?&#8221;
&#8220;Listen, you could be my sons and they in there too. One of them is wounded and is fighting for his life and his two fellows are lost and hungry like you,&#8221; Elisabeth laid down the law. &#8220;It is the Holy Night and there will be no shooting here.&#8221;
Once all of the weapons were stowed and all seven men were inside, the tension was palpable — but Elisabeth went about preparing dinner anyway. &#8220;Quick, get more potatoes and some oats,&#8221; she told Fritz. &#8220;These boys are hungry, and a starving man is an angry one.&#8221;
As they waited for their meal, one of the German soldiers noticed the wounded American — and his own prior medical training kicked in, pushing aside any thoughts he had of animosity.
While Harry slept, the remaining six pooled their resources and came up with bread and wine to go with the chicken soup that Elisabeth was preparing. By the time she prayed over their meal, Fritz later recalled, she was moved to tears by the men and their willingness to set war aside on such a holy day.
By the time morning came, all seven of the men had to return to their respective places. Elisabeth gave the Americans a tablecloth to use as a stretcher for Harry, and the German soldiers gave them directions back to where they believed their units were located. And so on Christmas morning, the two groups set off from the Vinckens&#8217; cabin in opposite directions.
&#8220;Be careful, boys. I want you to get home someday where you belong. God bless you all!&#8221; Elisabeth said as they disappeared into the forest.
Years later, Fritz set out to find the men who had shared that Christmas Eve dinner with him and his mother — and through an appearance on &#8220;Unsolved Mysteries,&#8221; he was able to track down Ralph Blank.
Blank was one of the soldiers who had spent that night with the Vinckens in the Hurtgen Forest — and he was living in a nursing home in Frederick, Maryland.
&#8220;Your mother saved my life,&#8221; Blank told Fritz when they were reunited in 1996.
For Fritz, that meeting was everything he had hoped for: &#8220;Now I can die in peace. My mother’s courage won’t be forgotten and it shows what goodwill will do.&#8221;
&#8220;The inner strength of a single woman, who, by her wits and intuition, prevented potential bloodshed, taught me the practical meaning of the words &#8216;good will toward mankind,'&#8221; Fritz said in <a href="https://www.christianfamilynashville.com/index.php/spiritual/faith/1538-the-christmas-truce#:~:text=“Now%20and%20then%2C%20on%20a,the%20Battle%20of%20the%20Bulge.”" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another interview</a>. &#8220;I remember mother and those seven young soldiers, who met as enemies and parted as friends, right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge.&#8221;

And finally the fourth candle came in

‘There Will Be No Shooting Here’: How One Woman Demanded — And Got — A Christmas Truce In Germany, 1944

'There Will Be No Shooting Here': How One Woman Demanded — And Got — A Christmas Truce In 1944

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Nazi Germany

Months after his return from combat, actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart was still adrift — unmoored in the Hollywood he had previously called home, living with fellow veteran Henry Fonda, and waiting for film offers that just weren&#8217;t coming in.
After a couple of months had gone by, director <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Capra</a> — who had worked with Stewart before in 1936&#8217;s &#8220;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You&#8221; — first pitched &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life.&#8221; A meeting was set, and Capra described the story to Stewart and his agent Lew Wasserman.
Stewart, who had been adamant about doing a comedy upon his return to Hollywood, was reportedly taken aback at first. &#8220;You want me to do what?&#8221; he asked, and according to Capra&#8217;s notes walked out of his initial pitch meeting. But Capra believed in the strength of the story — and he was equally adamant that Stewart was not just the right person to play George Bailey, he was the only person who could do it.
Stewart eventually sat down to listen to Capra&#8217;s pitch in full, and he recalled the director&#8217;s awkward description of the story in a <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1987 interview</a> for Guideposts.
&#8220;&#8216;Now, listen,&#8217; Frank began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed. &#8216;The story starts in heaven, and it’s sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there’s a fellow who’s in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and … Well, what it boils down to is, this fella who thinks he’s a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn’t earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can’t swim, so the guy has to save him, and then … This doesn’t tell very well, does it?'&#8221;
The actor said his response was simple: &#8220;Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn’t won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I’m your man!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478827" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478827" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478827" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707423.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Henry Travers as Clarence and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
For Capra and Stewart both, the film was a do or die project. For Stewart, it was his chance to prove that he still had something to give to fans. And Capra — who had also been away from Hollywood making movies for the War Department — believed so much in the story that he put everything on the line, even forming a new independent studio (Liberty Films) to produce it. But making the film was not without its difficulties. As actress Donna Reed — who played Mary Bailey to Stewart&#8217;s George Bailey — put it, &#8220;This was not a happy set.&#8221;
At one point, an agitated Stewart complained about the superficiality of Hollywood and acting in general, prompting veteran actor Lionel Barrymore — who plays the movie&#8217;s villain Mr. Henry F. Potter — to scold him: &#8220;So, are you saying it&#8217;s more worthwhile to drop bombs on people than to entertain them?&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478823" style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478823" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478823" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter's Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="767" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-767x576.jpg 767w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402-768x577.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707402.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter, Frank Hagney (in background) as Potter&#8217;s Bodyguard and James Stewart as George Bailey. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
As Matzen explained in a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 interview</a> with The Chicago Tribune, Stewart appeared to funnel all the bottled up rage, anxiety, anger, fear, and frustration into the role — making his portrayal of a man on the brink truly blur the line between fiction and reality.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a scene in the movie where he questions his sanity and he&#8217;s got this wild look about him. That&#8217;s one scene that really struck me, watching it on the big screen. And the other scene that always made me uncomfortable, but now means so much more to me, is when he&#8217;s in his living room and he&#8217;s throwing things and screaming at his kids — and his wife and children look at him like, &#8216;Who is this man? Who is this monster?'&#8221; Matzen explained. &#8220;And that is so reflective of what millions of families faced, looking at these strangers who came back from the war with this rage. Stewart played it beautifully. He just lets it out.&#8221;
Stewart recalled a similar moment in the <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guideposts interview</a>, when George Bailey turned to God in desperation — completely unaware that his entire town was also praying for him in the same moment.
&#8220;In agony I raise my eyes and, following the script, plead, &#8216;God … God … dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope. Show me the way, God …'&#8221; Stewart said, adding, &#8220;As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears.&#8221;
Capra, who loved spontaneity in his films, kept the powerful moment in the final cut — he even sacrificed some of the film quality to turn a wide shot into a close-up so that the audience could better see &#8220;George Bailey&#8217;s&#8221; pain.
The film was a resounding flop when it was released in 1947 — bringing in less than half of the expected box office haul — but still managed to impress the Academy. In addition to two technical nominations, Stewart received another Best Actor nod, Capra was nominated for directing, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. All five lost — and Capra&#8217;s newly-formed studio <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,793760,00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty Films quickly went under</a>.
<div id="attachment_478828" style="width: 775px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478828" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478828" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie &quot;It's a Wonderful Life&quot;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="765" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-765x576.jpg 765w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1187707436.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px" />&#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221;, produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here from left, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey, James Stewart as George Bailey and Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;By the end of 1947 the film was quietly put on the shelf,&#8221; Stewart <a href="https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-james-stewart-on-its-a-wonderful-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled</a>, adding, &#8220;But a curious thing happened. The movie refused to stay on the shelf. Those who loved it loved it a lot, and they told others. They wouldn’t let it die any more than the angel Clarence would let George Bailey die. When it began to be shown on TV, a whole new audience fell in love with it.&#8221;
The fact that the movie appeared on television was actually the result of a probable <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2TYK2NfhJ6pmDqW8rfT4LCf/its-a-wonderful-life-from-festive-flop-to-christmas-classic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clerical error</a> that resulted in Republic Pictures — who owned the rights after Liberty Films collapsed — failing to apply for a copyright renewal in 1974. Because it was public domain, television studios quickly added it to their holiday line-ups. A Supreme Court decision nearly two decades later determined that the owner of the short story it was based on — &#8220;The Greatest Gift&#8221; — actually owned the copyright, and to this day, NBC is the only network licensed to show the movie on television.
But those twenty years meant that millions of people saw that film — and many of them came to love it and come back to it every year.
Stewart explained that he believed the thing that had truly resonated with the audience was the thing that had resonated with him all those years ago — revealing that of the 80-or-so films he had made in his career, &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; remained his favorite.
&#8220;Today, after some 40 years, I’ve heard the film called an American cultural phenomenon,'&#8221; Stewart told Guideposts. &#8220;Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It’s simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life.&#8221;
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One of the Final Scenes from Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part II

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part II

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The beloved Christmas classic film &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; was the movie that brought a beleaguered and combat-weary actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart back to fans after the war — but it may have also been the movie that brought a desperate man back from the brink.
<a href="https://www.life.com/people/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Maitland Stewart</a> was preparing to go to war for several years before he was drafted in 1941. He earned a civilian pilot&#8217;s license in the hopes that the Army would let him fly — and he even took a trip to Europe in 1939 to get a feel for the landscape, knowing that it was likely he would end up there at some point.
By the time the Empire of Japan launched its surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Stewart had already attempted to join the Army. Rejected once in 1940 because he was underweight, the always-slim actor attempted to pack on a few pounds and ultimately turned to a doctor for a note explaining that he was just genetically predisposed to be thin.
Biographer Robert Matzen — who wrote &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Jimmy-Stewart-Fight-Europe/dp/0996274057/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jimmy+stewart+and+the+fight+for+europe&amp;qid=1621538823&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe</a>&#8221; — explained, &#8220;Step by step, he set himself up to end up in England in a bomb group. One of those steps was taken years before he was drafted, and that was when he became a star in Hollywood and bought a plane that was an army trainer and proceeded to learn to fly and train, and log hours on that plane so that he could be a pilot when the war came.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478319" style="width: 461px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478319" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478319" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg" alt="Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 - 1997), 1944. He had just been named chief of staff of a Liberator bomber combat wing, and recently had been awarded both the Oak Leaf Cluster and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. (Photo by US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="451" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg 451w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-235x300.jpg 235w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-768x982.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840.jpg 801w" sizes="(max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px" />Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 &#8211; 1997), 1944. US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images.</div>
Stewart&#8217;s determination — and his pre-war preparations — did not pay off immediately, however. The actor, who was fresh off his Best Actor win in 1940&#8217;s &#8220;The Philadelphia Story,&#8221; was initially drafted to appear in film reels and enlistment propaganda films — but eventually he demanded to see combat alongside his other draftees.
Stewart eventually got what he asked for, rising through the ranks from buck private to major in just four years and earning a spot in the cockpit of a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber known as Dixie Flyer. He flew dozens of missions over Germany, some as command pilot, and earned both a Distinguished Service Medal and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
But toward the end of the 8th Air Force&#8217;s <a href="https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/mission/8th-air-force-226-big-week-day-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Week</a> in early 1944 — a six-day mission in late February originally named Operation Argument and designed to decimate the German Luftwaffe in preparation for the D-Day invasion — things <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jimmy-stewart-ww2-mission-air-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went sideways</a>. Stewart was on his 10th mission as a leader and serving as co-pilot when his plane was hit. The German flak left a sizable hole in the fuselage of his plane — just inches from his feet. And while he and his pilot were able to recover, when the smoke cleared from the cockpit, they had to watch as another in their squadron took a similar strike, lost a wing, and plummeted toward the ground.
Stewart was not the same after that and was eventually grounded. At the time, his condition was referred to as &#8220;flak-happy,&#8221; &#8220;shell-shock,&#8221; or &#8220;combat fatigue&#8221; — but today&#8217;s doctors might have diagnosed the decorated pilot with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
&#8220;He wasn&#8217;t afraid of bombs or bullets. He was afraid of making a mistake and causing someone to die. That was his endless stress, and that&#8217;s what ended up grounding him,&#8221; Matzen wrote.
<div id="attachment_478808" style="width: 744px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478808" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478808" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. A veteran of a year and a half overseas with the 8th Air Force, Colonel Stewart, in his last command, was senior officer over approximately 9,000 men. Here he is shown with his parents at the St. Regis Hotel." width="734" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg 734w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-300x236.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-768x603.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" />(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images.</div>
He returned home to his proud parents in Pennsylvania. On the outside, he was a war hero; on the inside, he was nearly broken.
Surviving on little more than peanut butter and ice cream — he struggled to keep any solid foods down — Stewart&#8217;s already thin frame became painfully so. Still, he decided after a short time at home that what he really needed was to get back to work.
&#8220;I have to go back and face Hollywood. I&#8217;ve been away for five years, other people are taking my roles,&#8221; he said — but when he got there, he quickly realized that the landscape had changed and so had he. Stewart ended up sharing an apartment with fellow actor Henry Fonda, who had also recently returned after serving in the Pacific.
<div id="attachment_478811" style="width: 427px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478811" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478811" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg" alt="Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 - 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="417" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg 417w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-217x300.jpg 217w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640.jpg 742w" sizes="(max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px" />Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 &#8211; 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;I had been away from the film business, my MGM contract had run out and, frankly, not knowing how to get started again, I was just a little bit scared,&#8221; Stewart described the precarious nature of his situation in a 1987 interview with Guideposts. &#8220;Hank Fonda was in the same boat, and we sort of wandered around together, talking, flying kites and stuff. But nothing much was happening.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-jimmy-stewart-book-mov-1202-20161201-column.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stewart</a> got only one offer in those early weeks. His former boss and MGM exec Louis B. Mayer proposed a biopic capitalizing on the star&#8217;s military service. &#8220;Let&#8217;s do &#8216;The Jimmy Stewart Story&#8217; — we can show you flying over Frankfurt, we can show you as a military hero,&#8221; Mayer said. Stewart&#8217;s answer was an unequivocal &#8220;No,&#8221; and he flatly refused to discuss the matter further.
Director Frank Capra, an Italian immigrant who had been naturalized after serving in World War I, had also spent <a href="https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/director-frank-capra-goes-to-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">time away from Hollywood</a> during the war. As soon as Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall got wind of Capra&#8217;s enlistment, he had him commissioned as a major and assigned to report to him personally.
<div id="attachment_478955" style="width: 782px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478955" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-478955" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg" alt="Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 - 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)" width="772" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg 772w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-768x573.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px" />Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 &#8211; 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;To win this war we must win the battle for men’s minds,&#8221; Marshall told Capra in one of their early meetings. &#8220;I want to nail down with you a plan to make a series of documented, factual-information films – the first in our history – that will explain to our boys in the Army why we are fighting, and the principles for which we are fighting.&#8221;
Capra protested, explaining that he had never made any film that could be considered a &#8220;documentary.&#8221;
Marshall responded with the gruff bluster that he was known for, saying, &#8220;Capra, I have never been chief of staff before. Thousands of young Americans have never had their legs shot off before. Boys are commanding ships today, who a year ago had never seen the ocean before.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m sorry, sir. I’ll make you the best damned documentary films ever made,&#8221; was Capra&#8217;s reply.
But when it was all over, Capra returned to Hollywood in much the same state as Stewart: adrift, and wondering if he still had what it took to deliver what the fans wanted.

It’s A Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part I

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost A Little Less Wonderful: Part I

Conflicts

World

It was a quiet Sunday morning when the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japanese</a> attack planes — known as &#8220;Zeros&#8221; because their wings were marked with the same solitary red circle that appears on the Japanese flag — appeared over the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor.
The attack targeted the battleships that were in the harbor — but missed the opportunity to take out any of the three aircraft carriers assigned to Pearl, as they were out in the Pacific on maneuvers at the time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The ships on Battleship Row. Every ship except the USS Arizona and the USS Oklahoma returned to service to fight again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/JmOT0gYofU">pic.twitter.com/JmOT0gYofU</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732833684573855799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Japanese fighters also targeted nearby Wheeler Field, strafing the planes that were parked wing to wing and taking out 188 U.S. military aircraft and damaging another 159 planes.
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Wheeler Field has received multiple bomb hits and aircraft parked wing tip to wing tip are set ablaze by strafing Japanese aircraft. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/yhUMnxbbjO">pic.twitter.com/yhUMnxbbjO</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732837935429591426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Within minutes, the surprise attack was over — and the planes disappeared as quickly as they had come — but the air over Pearl Harbor was thick with smoke that billowed from crippled and sinking ships. All told, 19 U.S. Navy ships — 8 of them battleships — were damaged, disabled, or completely destroyed. The wreckage of the crippled USS Arizona burned for two days.
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Perhaps the most iconic photo showing the destruction of USS Arizona is further brought to life when just a little bit of color is added. One can only imagine the devastating horror aboard her as she burned for two days. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RememberUSSArizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RememberUSSArizona</a> <a href="https://t.co/5IT3ghkup5">pic.twitter.com/5IT3ghkup5</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732840100072202672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In less than one hour, 2,403 U.S. military personnel had been killed, along with 68 civilians. Among the dead, 2,008 were Navy personnel, 218 were Army personnel, and 109 were U.S. Marines. Another 1,143 military personnel — and 35 civilians — were wounded in the attack as well.
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The staggering losses on December 7th 1941.
US Navy 2,008 killed 710 wounded US Army 218 killed 364 wounded US Marines 109 killed 69 wounded Civilians 68 killed 35 wounded
Aboard USS Arizona 1,177 alone were killed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarborRemembranceDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarborRemembranceDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/TOWajOK7zG">pic.twitter.com/TOWajOK7zG</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732840603933941957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Within 24 hours, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-president-franklin-d-roosevelt-responds-to-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called on Congress</a> to declare war on the Empire of Japan. Congress obliged, with almost a unanimous vote, on December 8, 1941. Three days later, the United States was also at war with Nazi Germany.
Eighty-two years after Pearl Harbor, Americans still remember the day that, as Roosevelt said, would forever &#8220;live in infamy.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, we pause to remember &#8216;a day that will live in infamy&#8217; following a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Join us in saluting the bravery demonstrated 82 years ago today that has continued to inspire future generations,&#8221; the U.S. Army&#8217;s official X account shared a video.
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Today, we pause to remember &quot;a day that will live in infamy&quot; following a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Join us in saluting the bravery demonstrated 82 years ago today that has continued to inspire future generations. <a href="https://t.co/WUlgDkjSlx">pic.twitter.com/WUlgDkjSlx</a>
&mdash; U.S. Army (@USArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1732764252660736052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;On the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we remember all those who died on that day of infamy—and honor the courage and sacrifice of all those who have answered the call to serve in the days since,&#8221; Vice President Kamala Harris posted.
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On the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we remember all those who died on that day of infamy—and honor the courage and sacrifice of all those who have answered the call to serve in the days since. <a href="https://t.co/nrcfIIsCzM">pic.twitter.com/nrcfIIsCzM</a>
&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1732800622645153882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1941. We will never forget the 2,403 service members &amp; civilians who perished that day or America&#8217;s Greatest Generation who rose in response. Today, and every day, we remember,&#8221; the Gary Sinise Foundation posted a tribute as well.
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Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1941. We will never forget the 2,403 service members &amp; civilians who perished that day or America&#39;s Greatest Generation who rose in response. Today, and every day, we remember. <a href="https://t.co/XOIISsTUl0">pic.twitter.com/XOIISsTUl0</a>
&mdash; GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFound) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarySiniseFound/status/1732762004291547404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Scenes From The Attack On Pearl Harbor

‘A Date That Will Live In Infamy’: America Remembers Pearl Harbor 82 Years Later

'A Date That Will Live In Infamy': America Remembers Pearl Harbor 82 Years Later

Pearl Harbor

U.S. Military

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a photograph this week of a Nazi propaganda book that denies the Holocaust found inside a school in Gaza.
The book, &#8220;The Big Lie: The burning of 6 million Jews in the gas chambers,&#8221; was located inside Al-Quds University, according to the IDF.
&#8220;Under Hamas’ rule, school curriculums promote extremist antisemitic practices—calling for genocide against the Jewish people,&#8221; the IDF said. &#8220;This is another example for Hamas’ true ideology—and another reason for us to dismantle it.&#8221;
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Under Hamas’ rule, school curriculums promote extremist antisemitic practices—calling for genocide against the Jewish people.
This is another example for Hamas’ true ideology—and another reason for us to dismantle it. <a href="https://t.co/1Bx804NApk">pic.twitter.com/1Bx804NApk</a>
&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1726936387168117244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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According to an Arabic <a href="https://archive2.libya-al-mostakbal.org/news/clicked/90769">website</a>, the book reportedly claims that Jews invented a lie claiming that Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler exterminated them in concentration camps. The book claims that Jews spread disinformation to pressure governments around the world and to shape public opinion in favor of Israel when, in fact, the Nazis systematically <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/holocaust">murdered</a> 6 million Jews in concentration camps.
The discovery comes after the IDF found an Arabic copy of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in a children’s room at a home in Gaza.
“IDF forces discovered a copy of Hitler’s infamous book ‘Mein Kampf’ — translated into Arabic — in a child’s bedroom used as a Hamas terrorist base in Gaza,” the IDF said on X. “The book was discovered among the personal belongings of one of the terrorists, featuring annotations and highlights.”
“Hamas embraces the ideology of Hitler, the one responsible for the annihilation of the Jewish people,” the IDF added.
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Never again is NOW.
IDF forces discovered a copy of Hitler&#39;s infamous book &quot;Mein Kampf&quot;—translated into Arabic—in a child’s bedroom used as a Hamas terrorist base in Gaza. 
The book was discovered among the personal belongings of one of the terrorists, featuring annotations and… <a href="https://t.co/XMOE3jgKmm">pic.twitter.com/XMOE3jgKmm</a>
&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1723665392525021439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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During World War II, Hitler met with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, whom Palestinians see as one of the fathers of Palestinian nationalism, on November 28, 1941, at the Reich Chancellory in Berlin.
During the meeting, al-Husseini conveyed to Hitler that he was “admired by the entire Arab world” because “of the sympathy which he had always shown for the Arab and especially the Palestinian cause,” according to an official German <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-official-record-what-the-mufti-said-to-hitler/">record</a> of the meeting. He told Hitler that the Arabs were natural friends with Nazi Germany because they both hated Jews.
Hitler told al-Husseini that Germany’s war against the Jews was “uncompromising” and that he actively opposed “the Jewish national home in Palestine” because he claimed it was “nothing other than a center, in the form of a state, for the exercise of destructive influence by Jewish interests,” the record said.
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Tens of thousands of Muslims also fought for Germany during WWII as Nazi Germany “made significant attempts to promote an alliance with the ‘Muslim world’ against their alleged common enemies,” according to a <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/how-nazis-courted-the-islamic-world-during-wwii/a-41358387">report</a> from German public state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Today, there are multiple schools in the Palestinian-controlled territories — both in Gaza and in the Judea and Samaria Area — that have been named after Nazi collaborators, according to a <a href="https://palwatch.org/storage/special%20reports/pa%20ministry%20of%20education%20schools%20named%20after%20terrorists,%20sept%202017.pdf">report</a> from Palestinian Media Watch.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement has also posted the covers of anti-Semitic children’s books from Nazi Germany on their social media pages.
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Fatah posts Nazi children&#39;s book: Don’t trust a fox or a Jew <a href="https://t.co/bojDJ6FTdn">https://t.co/bojDJ6FTdn</a> <a href="https://t.co/dEck63Qvht">pic.twitter.com/dEck63Qvht</a>
&mdash; Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/palwatch/status/659725085582999553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Nazi Book

IDF: Nazi Propaganda Book Denying The Holocaust Located Inside Gaza School

Adolf Hitler

Anti-Semitism

Gaza

Hamas

Israel

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Terrorism

MacArthur_Manila_(cropped2) copy

America’s Top 11 Generals: #2 Douglas MacArthur

America's Top 11 Generals: #2 Douglas MacArthur

American General

Douglas MacArthur

Korean War

West Point

World War I

Americans are keenly aware of Hollywood greats who not only entertained us but served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Jimmy Stewart. Paul Newman. Charles Bronson. Humphrey Bogart. Charlton Heston.
Some became American institutions. Others portrayed tough-guy heroes for decades.
The following stars aren’t necessarily known for their on-screen bravado. Others routinely make us laugh for a living.
They served, too, and on Veterans Day it’s worth noting their contributions.
<h2>Rob Riggle</h2>
The veteran SNL funnyman has become a constant comedy presence on shows like “Modern Family,” and movies like “Step Brothers” and “The Hangover.” He’s constantly working, but before diving into that breakneck pace he served 23 years, in total, with the U.S. Marines.
Riggle’s service included nine active-duty years in Liberia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Albania. The retired <a href="https://people.com/tv/rob-riggle-military-service-hollywood-bet-on-myself/#:~:text=Riggle%20served%2023%20years%20total,to%20serve%20in%20some%20capacity.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lieutenant Colonel told People magazine</a> how invaluable his time in the military was to his personal improvement.
&#8220;They pushed me beyond my perceived limits… so whatever I thought I was capable of, the Marines said, &#8216;Actually, you can do a whole lot more when pushed.’ And they were right.” 
<div id="attachment_651375" style="width: 849px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651375" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651375" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-839x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: (L to R) Word War II and Korean War veterans Pat Finn, Melvin Hurwitz, Johnny Johnson and Mel Jenner join actor and host Rob Riggle (C) at the 2023 American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes event at Omni Shoreham Hotel on November 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)" width="839" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-839x576.jpg 839w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-768x527.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 839px) 100vw, 839px" />WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; NOVEMBER 04: (L to R) Word War II and Korean War veterans Pat Finn, Melvin Hurwitz, Johnny Johnson and Mel Jenner join actor and host Rob Riggle (C) at the 2023 American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes event at Omni Shoreham Hotel on November 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Adam Driver</h2>
Han Solo’s on-screen son is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, including his work in the upcoming Michael Mann drama “Ferrari.”
Driver’s intensity is a calling card, which helps explain why he signed up to defend his country shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 
He said during a 2015 TED Talk that his military time was “one of the things I’m most proud of having done in my life.”
He served nearly three years before a mountain bike injury forced him to accept a medical discharge. The future star tried to work through the injury, but his body wouldn’t have it. That prevented him from serving overseas in Iraq, <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2813966/adam-driver-draws-parallels-between-acting-military-careers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told NPR’s “Fresh Air.”</a>
&#8220;I wanted to go so much. I mean, you were training to do this job for two years with these people. The idea of not going, someone else going in your place or not being there, is not really an easy thing to sit with.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_651379" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651379" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651379" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-777x576.jpg" alt="TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Adam Driver of 'Tracks' poses at the Guess Portrait Studio during 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2013 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)" width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-777x576.jpg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />TORONTO, ON &#8211; SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Adam Driver of &#8216;Tracks&#8217; poses at the Guess Portrait Studio during 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2013 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Drew Carey</h2>
The “Price Is Right” wisecracker routinely supports the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. He’s deployed his wit to make soldiers smile during multiple USO outings. 
He knew exactly how they felt.
Carey signed up with the U.S. Marines in 1980 where he served his country for six years as a field radio operator with the 25th Marine Regiment in Ohio. He eventually attained the rank of sergeant, exploring his gift for gab along the way.
He began penning jokes for military stand-up performances, paving the way for his post-Marine life.
Joining the military had a <a href="https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/drew-carey-cleveland-ohio-marine-corps-history-lone-sailor-statue-great-lakes-science-center/95-941db02d-2a8a-4c78-adb6-e7930a4806df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profound effect</a> on the future funnyman.
“I went from not being able to afford to eat or clothe myself to getting three meals a day. I had an instant family. I had something to be proud of every day.”
<div id="attachment_651387" style="width: 880px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651387" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-870x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actor Drew Carey visits SiriusXM Studios on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)" width="870" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-870x576.jpg 870w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px" />NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; NOVEMBER 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actor Drew Carey visits SiriusXM Studios on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Ice-T</h2>
The veteran rapper was once best known for his incendiary songs targeting crooked cops. Today, he’s a long-standing member of “Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit,” the literal face of hard-working police officers.
As a young man, he <a href="https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-ice-t.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined the Army</a> to get his life in order.
Then-Tracy Marrow had a wife and daughter, so the move gave him structure along with financial security. He briefly misbehaved during his four-year stint in the 25th Infantry Division, but was able to bounce back and complete his service.
He also used that time to plot his future. Marrow picked up music equipment he’d later use in the early stages of his rap career during his military service.
<div id="attachment_651389" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651389" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651389" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 03: Ice-T attends the 38th Annual Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; NOVEMBER 03: Ice-T attends the 38th Annual Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )</div>
<h2>Pat Sajak</h2>
The future game show host shouted, “Good Morning, Vietnam,” into a mic long before Robin Williams made the phrase famous. Sajak didn’t come up with the catchphrase – Williams’ real-life inspiration for the 1987 film of the same name came courtesy of DJ Adrian Cronauer.
Sajak kept that irreverent spirit alive during his days in the U.S. Military.
The future “Wheel of Fortune” star initially trained as a finance clerk but later found his calling as a DJ for the American Forces Vietnam Network. 
Sajak lamented that his service didn’t include life on the battlefield. He called his service “soft,” and felt some shame attached to it. He took solace in the reaction to his broadcasts from fellow soldiers who cheered him for <a href="https://www.uso.org/stories/283-wheel-of-fortune-host-pat-sajak-recounts-his-days-as-an-army-dj">making them feel closer to home</a> with every show.
<div id="attachment_651397" style="width: 801px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651397" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651397" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-791x576.jpg" alt="ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 10: 'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak attends a taping of the Wheel of Fortune's 35th Anniversary Season at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World on October 10, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)" width="791" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-791x576.jpg 791w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-768x559.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-1536x1119.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-2048x1492.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" />ORLANDO, FL &#8211; OCTOBER 10: &#8216;Wheel of Fortune&#8217; host Pat Sajak attends a taping of the Wheel of Fortune&#8217;s 35th Anniversary Season at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World on October 10, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Mel Brooks</h2>
One of the funniest men alive <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2882521/actor-comedian-mel-brooks-served-in-army-in-world-war-ii/#:~:text=In%201944%2C%20he%20was%20drafted,training%20at%20Fort%20Sill%2C%20Oklahoma.">lived through the Battle of the Bulge</a>.
Brooks was drafted into the Army in 1944 and brushed up on combat engineering at Virginia Military Institute. By November he was in France and later Belgium as part of the 78th Infantry Division.
He helped clear the battlefield of land mines to allow Allied soldiers to push forward in the Battle of the Bulge. He even saw combat during his service.
The future legend could find something funny about anything, even the horrors of war. He would go on to savage the Third Reich in his 1967 comedy classic, “The Producers,” featuring the loopy tune “Springtime for Hitler.”
<div id="attachment_651399" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651399" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651399" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-866x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 07: Director Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the screening of 'High Anxiety' during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26657_004 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />LOS ANGELES, CA &#8211; APRIL 07: Director Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the screening of &#8216;High Anxiety&#8217; during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26657_004 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)</div>
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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