Beat this J Wayne (1 Viewer)

[TomB]

Have at last found a reference to Jimmy Stewart's USAAF service....While John was flying Hellcats in the Flying Leathernecks ,Jimmy was doing the real thing...TomB

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

View attachment 124145 Have at last found a reference to Jimmy Stewart's USAAF service....While John was flying Hellcats in the Flying Leathernecks ,Jimmy was doing the real thing...TomB

Jimmy Steward was a class act and his Air Corps and subsequent Air Force service is very well known. Steward was a natural for the Air Corps since he was already an experienced commercial pilot. Later when he starred in the Strategic Air Command, he had actual command pilot experience in the aircraft he was "pretending to fly on the screen. He remained in the Air Force Reserves rising to General and and even flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission during the Vietnam War. While he truly deserves the greatest of respect for his military service, this comparison is rather unfair.

Wayne was initially exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status with four children, and classified as 3-A (family deferment). When manpower challenges prompted the SS to reclassify him as 1-A, it was Republic Studio’s legal department that contested the change and was successful in changing his classifcation to 2-A (deferred in the public interest). In fact, a letter from Republic Studios head Herbert Yates threatened to sue Wayne for breach of contract should he leave the studio for volunteer military service. Wayne was indeed Republic’s biggest moneymaker during the war and that studio’s only “A” star at the time. Despite that there is much evidence the John continued to try to find a way to enlist. There is a letter from Wayne to Ford in May of 1942 in the John Ford Papers at Indiana State University in which Wayne practically begs his Ford to find a way for him to join up. In suggests this was not his only attempt. In 1943 John Wayne tried again to get a commission in the Marine Corps to be attached to John Ford’s OSS. Unit. Unfortunately none of these efforts proved sucessful. So while Jimmy is to be appreciated for his service, it is simply not fair to suggest that it gives him some advantage over the Duke.

 

[TomB]

Jimmy Steward was a class act but this comparison is far from fair. Steward was a natural for the Air Corps since he was already an experienced commercial pilot. Wayne was initially exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status with four children, and classified as 3-A (family deferment). When manpower challenges prompted the SS to reclassify him as 1-A, it was Republic Studio’s legal department that contested the change and was successful in changing his classifcation to 2-A (deferred in the public interest). In fact, a letter from Republic Studios head Herbert Yates threatened to sue Wayne for breach of contract should he leave the studio for volunteer military service. Wayne was indeed Republic’s biggest moneymaker during the war and that studio’s only “A” star at the time. Despite that there is much evidence the John continued to try to find a way to enlist. There is a letter from Wayne to Ford in May of 1942 in the John Ford Papers at Indiana State University in which Wayne practically begs his Ford to find a way for him to join up. In suggests this was not his only attempt. In 1943 John Wayne tried again to get a commission in the Marine Corps to be attached to John Ford’s OSS. Unit. Unfortunately none of these efforts proved sucessful. So while Jimmy is to be appreciated for his service, it is simply not fair to suggest that it gives him some advantage over the Duke.

Read a similar version to above.....but the version I read was his supposedly good mate Ford did not want him in his OSS unit and John was only interested in joining up... only.... if he could get a comimission ...he was not interested in enlisting as a baggyarse private.... I also read in the same article he had a chance later in the war when he was changed to F1 to join up but declined....Who do you believe ?...you cannot take a great deal of notice of what you read on the net...the above article on Jimmy Stewart states he flew B24's,,,everything I have read about him was he flew B17's...small point.....who is right...B17 or B24.....I have read a few article about John on the net...they all very...some for...some against.....what I do find intersting is ,,,,when he was threanted he would be sued for breach of contract6...why did he not take up the challange...if he lost he had an excause for missing the war...if he had won...he could have enlisted and we would not be having this discussion.......funny world aint it...cheers TomB