On March 22, 1941, James Stewart became the first Hollywood star to join the Armed Forces when he was inducted as a private in the Army Air Force. Stewart’s grandfathers had fought in the Civil War and his father had served in the Spanish-American War and WWI. He was already a certified pilot, but his path into the Army had been bumpy. Having won the Academy Award for Best Actor for “The Philadelphia Story” in 1940, he was one of the biggest stars and box office gold for MGM. Obviously, the studio did not want him to enlist. He reluctantly agreed, but when a draft notice arrived, he was thrilled. But then he was declared ineligible because of his low weight. Stewart suspected that the studio had pulled strings to keep him out. Determined, he found a doctor that would confirm that he was physically fit despite the weight. The Army agreed and he was allowed to enlist. Studio head Louis Mayer saw that he was assigned to making Army films (like Ronald Reagan would end up doing), but Stewart got his commanding officer to change his orders. Stewart became a trainer for pilots of bombers and when his unit went to Great Britain, he insisted on going. By then, he was the commanding officer of the 445th Bombing Squadron in the 8th Air Force. He usually flew as a co-pilot so he could concentrate on leading the mission. His insistence on tight formation flying resulted in lower losses than most squadrons, but he still lost men and it was very stressful. Stewart began to show signs of PTSD, so he was transferred to operations officer in another unit. He still flew the occasional mission. Eventually, the Army realized that Jimmy Stewart bailing out over Germany and being used by Hitler for propaganda purposes was not a look it wanted. Ironically, Stewart had refused to participate in photo ops for the Army. He did not take advantage of his celebrity status. By the time the Army shut him down, he ended up with 20 missions and a Distinguished Flying Cross. He had gone from private to full colonel in just four years, a very rare feat. When the war ended, he returned to Hollywood to make “It’s a Wonderful Life” in 1946. George Bailey’s anguish was something he could relate to.
“Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe” by Robert Matzen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart
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