LT. Garlin Conner. WW2's most decorated soldier.

[clearconscience]

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/...ing-second-chance-at-medal-of-honor/70943902/


I read this in awe and had to share.

Read More

 

[jbett98]

The only downside to receiving this award, would be Obama handing it out.

 

[clearconscience]

Somewhat disrespectful.

 

[rick benjamin]

WWII <broken link removed> returned to USA
Corps recognizes <broken link removed>

 

[rick benjamin]

Somewhat disrespectful.

WWII most decorated soldier

 

[clearconscience]

Sorry guys I should have put word for word of the article.
ONE of the most decorated soldiers of WW2

 

[Mark W.]

I had always heard Audie Murphy was the most decorated WWII soldier.

 

[erudne]

Audie Murphy

 

[clearconscience]

Hate you guys.

 

[clearconscience]

Yeah well Audie Murphy was also famous which probably helped the bean counters back home make decisions to give him every medal in the US. Probably helped with moral, recruiting, and money flowing into the war machine.

However the farmboys from cowtown whose names no one could remember were left unrecognized.

Not to take anything away from Murphy.
Hollywood cowards these days would go out of their way to keep from helping an old lady across the street. Only time they get off their bleeding heart anus is to help destroy the country.

 

[rick benjamin]

Would I have the courage to overcome my natural self-preservation?
They did it.
Those who did and didn't get recognized, well they did it.
Officially recognized twice a year, Memorial Day, Veterans Day.
Some remember every day. RIP

 

[Brutus57]

I am curious how he won a DFC, looks like he was an infantryman. Quite a hero nonetheless. I hope he gets it, no matter who pins it on.

Brutus Out

 

[Mark W.]

Murphy got famous AFTER his heroism And he suffered PTSD all of his life for the stuff he went through. As to the DFC I don't see that in the list of his commendations on Wiki. There is a DSC listed. As well as a number of French and Belgian medals.

Comparing him to anything in Hollywood now would be a serious stretch.

 

[rick benjamin]

The OP article had errors.
Last minute piece? Public school education? Uh, I had a public school education...
The article pointed to the story of a brave man who loved his buddies enough to leave a cushy
rear area rejoin his unit.

Some servicemen became actors after the war. Lee Marvin comes to mind
Some actors left lucrative careers to go in harm's way, David Niven comes to mind
Some actors served to make war films and entertain troops. John Wayne, Bob Hope.

Uncle Jack was a mortarman in Italy.
Till the day he died, he hated the germans and had flashbacks.
Jack Works earned his living as a plumber, died year before last. RIP

 

[mrblond]

The OP article had errors.
Last minute piece? Public school education? Uh, I had a public school education...
The article pointed to the story of a brave man who loved his buddies enough to leave a cushy
rear area rejoin his unit.

Some servicemen became actors after the war. Lee Marvin comes to mind
Some actors left lucrative careers to go in harm's way, David Niven comes to mind
Some actors served to make war films and entertain troops. John Wayne, Bob Hope.

Uncle Jack was a mortarman in Italy.
Till the day he died, he hated the germans and had flashbacks.
Jack Works earned his living as a plumber, died year before last. RIP

This remindes me of a friend I had as a kid. His Parents were from Holland and is mom was in a school that the germans bombed. She HATED them.. I mean there was nothing but seething venom out of her mouth when it came to the germans, except for her, they were krauts, always krauts.
Now when Id go over we always would play army men and guess what side I got stuck with..

 

[clearconscience]

Well not only did i go to public school but i skipped a lot to go to work and make money. (Real smart)

Yes there's some factual errors, yes, I mis-stated some details. My apologies, to the internet historians.

I should have listed a disclaimer, the following thread and article may contain some information internet scholars deem to be false or made up. Please excuse these errors and just read about another great badarse American Hero. Who ISN'T the most decorated soldier of WW2, but has a lot of medals.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Murphy got famous AFTER his heroism And he suffered PTSD all of his life for the stuff he went through. As to the DFC I don't see that in the list of his commendations on Wiki. There is a DSC listed. As well as a number of French and Belgian medals.

Comparing him to anything in Hollywood now would be a serious stretch.

Murphy was a dirt poor sharecroppers son. His dad ran off when he was in his in his early teens, leaving his mother and two younger siblings! Audie fed the family with his .22. WW2 broke out, coinciding with his moms death and his sister signed his waver so that he could enlist. A favorite story about Audie (I don't know if it's true) is he tried to enter the USMC and the recruiting Sargent told him that the Marines made boys into men! "But son," he said "we need something to work with!" Murphy was short and slight. Later, in his movies, he had boxes to stand on and the very tiniest actresses to work with! I've always thought that the poor Marine Sargent was spinning in his grave for turning down Murphy!

I've always been a huge admirer of Audie! He was small, but his his courageous heart was huge!

 

[erudne]

Not to drag down all the other GI's who gave (and give) so much but I'm a big Audie fan. The absolute, bestest book on Audie is "No Name On The Bullet" a rare book written by a history prof. in TX (of course). This book details every important aspect of his life. Audie's family was so poor that at one point they lived in a derelict box car and later still they had a home w/ a light bulb, the first Audie had ever seen in a home. I'm a big fan, as a kid he taught me to shoot, and he was an incredible shot. Audie suffered from malnutrition and when he went into the Army he gained weight and grew an inch or two due to his increased food intake

 

[jbett98]

One of my favorite actors is Jimmy Stewart. Here is a bio on his war record.








A Reel Real Hero
James "Jimmy"
Maitland Stewart
Most only know him as a famous actor who played roles as a military officer, a cowboy, a famous band leader, a businessman and a politician.
But few seem to know the true story behind the fascinating military career of one of
this country's greatest actors.
Jimmy Stewart led a very successful career as a bomber pilot and command level officer during WWII. This page is dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Stewart, his military career, and those who
served with him during WWII in the skies above Europe.
This is one of the few pages on my site which does not show something from my collection. It is simply a tribute to a great American actor, a distinguished veteran and an All-American role model.




A brief overview Stewart's military career:
Served overseas 21 months
Completed 20 combat missions
Awarded six battle stars
Served with the Air Force Reserves
Promoted to Brigadier General , July 1959
Retired 1968
Awarded Distinguished Service Medal 1968
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 1985

Medals awarded to BGen. Stewart:
Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Commendation Medal
American Defense Service Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Service Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom.

While establishing his reputation as an actor, the rest of the world was about to go to war.
German occupation in numerous countries in the early part of 1940 led Congress on
September 16, 1940 to pass the Selective Service Bill, "the draft."
This bill called for 900,000 men between the ages of 20 and 36 to be drafted each year. Stewart's draft number was 310.
When his number was called and he appeared at Draft Board No. 245 in West Los Angeles in
February 1941, the 6'3" Stewart weighed only 138 pounds, 5 pounds under the acceptable
weight level. He was turned down for service.

Stewart wanted to fly and serve his country but by May of 1941 he would have been too old to get into flight school.
He went home ate everything he could that was fattening and went back and enlisted in the Army Air Corps, he passed the physical with an ounce to spare and began his military service as a private.
While others tried to avoid the draft, he actually wanted to serve in the military and
was the first Hollywood star to enter military service prior or during WWII.

Interested in aviation as a child, he had taken his first flight while still in Indiana from one of the barnstorming pilots that used to travel the Midwest.
As a successful actor in 1935 Jimmy was able to afford flying lessons.
He received his civilian pilot's license in 1935, and bought his first
airplane.
In 1938 he obtained his commercial pilot's license. He often flew cross country to visit his parents in Pennsylvania, navigating by the railroad tracks.

In the military, he was to make extensive use of his civilian pilot's training.
In March 1941 at age 32, he reported for duty as Private James Stewart at Fort McArthur and was assigned to the Army Air Corps at Moffett Field.
To comply with the regulations of the Air Corps proficiency board, Stewart required additional 100 flying hours and bought them at a nearby field, at his own expense.
He then took and passed a very stiff proficiency board examination.

In January 1942 Stewart was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant.
He was then sent to Mather Field in California as a four engine instructor, this included both the B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers.
Much to his dismay, Stewart stayed stateside for almost two years working as a flight
instructor, until commanding officers finally yielded to his request to be sent overseas.
In November 1943, now a Captain and Operations Officer for the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force, he arrived in Tibenham, England.
In March of 1944 he was transferred to the 453rd Bombardment Group at Old Buckenham (Old Buc).
Throughout his combat career, Stewart flew as lead pilot in B-24 Liberators.

Stewart's war record included 20 combat missions as command pilot over enemy territory, including raids deep into Germany to Berlin.
He didn't fly the milk runs, and his missions included bombing raids to Berlin, Brunswick, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Schweinfurt.
His most memorable mission, Stewart served as the flight leader of a 1000 plain raid to Berlin.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of Colonel. After the war he remained with the US Air Force Reserves and was eventually promoted to Brigadier General in 1959.
In 1966, he participated in a bombing strike in Vietnam, as an observer on a B-52 bomber.
He retired from the Air Force in 1968 and received the Distinguished Service Medal and ultimately, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 

[erudne]

My uncle went down in a B-24
They were notorious because their fuel lines would crack open and fill the wing with explosive fumes. One spark and the wing would blow off

There is no doubt that Stewart was a very committed American Patriot