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Stars and Stripes: Celebrities who served in the military

Surprising celebrities who served in the U.S. military.

Comedian and TV host Johnny Carson joined the Naval Air Corps on June 8, 1943, received V-12 officer training at Columbia University and Millsaps College. Commissioned an ensign late in the war, Carson was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania in the Pacific. While in the Navy, Carson posted a 10–0 amateur boxing record, with most of his bouts fought on board the USS Pennsylvania. He was en route to the combat zone aboard a troop ship when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war. Carson served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages and he said that the high point of his military career was performing a magic trick for United States Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal. Carson's most important military experience was a conversation with James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, who asked Carson if he planned to stay in the navy after the war. In response, Carson said no and told him he wanted to be a magician. Forrestal asked him to perform, in which Carson did with a card trick. Although, Carson created more than just magic that day, more like a promise for the future. The most important thing that Carson experienced that day was his discovery that he could entertain and amuse someone as cranky and sophisticated as Forrestal. This undated family handout photo shows Johnny Carson during his days as an ensign in the U.S. navy during World War II. Carson, the quick-witted "Tonight Show" host who became a national institution putting his viewers to bed for 30 years with a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter and heartland charm, died Sunday Jan. 23, 2005. He was 79. (AP Photo)
Comedian and TV host Johnny Carson joined the Naval Air Corps on June 8, 1943, received V-12 officer training at Columbia University and Millsaps College. Commissioned an ensign late in the war, Carson was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania in the Pacific. While in the Navy, Carson posted a 10–0 amateur boxing record, with most of his bouts fought on board the USS Pennsylvania. He was en route to the combat zone aboard a troop ship when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war. Carson served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages and he said that the high point of his military career was performing a magic trick for United States Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal. Carson's most important military experience was a conversation with James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, who asked Carson if he planned to stay in the navy after the war. In response, Carson said no and told him he wanted to be a magician. Forrestal asked him to perform, in which Carson did with a card trick. Although, Carson created more than just magic that day, more like a promise for the future. The most important thing that Carson experienced that day was his discovery that he could entertain and amuse someone as cranky and sophisticated as Forrestal. This undated family handout photo shows Johnny Carson during his days as an ensign in the U.S. navy during World War II. Carson, the quick-witted "Tonight Show" host who became a national institution putting his viewers to bed for 30 years with a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter and heartland charm, died Sunday Jan. 23, 2005. He was 79. (AP Photo)

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