Retired Brigadier General James Stewart of the US Air Force Reserves would have turned 99 today.
You might know him better as Jimmy Stewart, the actor. Born 20 May 1908, died 2 July 1997.
Keep in mind, General Stewart wasn't someone who ventured on screen after serving in the military. He had been nominated for two Oscars for Best Actor, winning one for his role in The Philadelphia Story, before joining the military. He had been nominated for Best Actor the year before for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
At a memorial service in 1997, Lt. Gen. Roger G. DeKok said, "He did not enlist for fame or fortune. To the contrary, he sacrificed thousands of dollars a week in pay for $21 a month and the opportunity to fight for a cause he believed in."
Dolores says, "His equal simply does not exist in Hollywood anymore." She might be right.
Ron Schuler has some biographical information.
Outside In has a video of Stewart reading a poem on the Tonight Show.
[by the way, did you know that Johnny Carson's sidekick, Ed McMahon, was a Colonel in the USMC and a Brigadier General in the California Air National Guard?]
