Military Officer - September 2008 - (Page 113)

pagesofhistory Hollywood Hero Jimmy Stewart didn’t just play the hero in movies — he was one. Stewart ﬂew bombing missions over Germany in World War II, never taking the easy mission. A ctor James M. Stewart was honored for his military service at the Jimmy Stewart Centennial Celebration May 24 at the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pa. Ofﬁcials from the 11th Wing at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., and Air Force Reserve Command members participated in the celebration in Stewart’s hometown. Col. Terry Ross, the 11th Wing vice commander, presented Kelly Stewart Harcourt and Judy Stewart, the actor’s daughters, with two Distinguished Flying Crosses and four Air Medals their father earned for combat missions he ﬂew. They also received their father’s French Croix de Guerre with Palm decoration. Stewart enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941, weeks after receiving the Best Actor Academy Award for “The Philadelphia Story” (1940). He received his ﬁrst Distinguished Flying Cross for leading a bombing mission over Germany that met heavy Luftwaffe ﬁghter attacks and antiaircraft ﬁre Feb. 20, 1944. He climbed to the rank of colonel during the war, and later became a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve. Ross quoted Stewart’s own words to explain why the famous actor risked THIS MONTH IN HISTORY I On Sept. 25, 1775, Continental Army Col. his successful Hollywood career to be an $80-a-month private: “It may sound corny, but what’s wrong with ﬁghting for one’s country?” Stewart asked. B Honoring Pigeons efore the days of radio and satellite communication, military commanders relied on the pigeon. The role of those pigeons in protecting soldiers was honored May 31 at a ceremony at Cantigny Park, outside Chicago. The date also marked the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cantigny, the ﬁrst U.S. offensive sustained in World War I. The celebration included exhibits highlighting the birds’ wartime actions and a release of homing pigeons in the sky. In wartime, pigeons carried messages in small canisters attached to their legs, and some even were ﬁtted with cameras to take photographs of enemy positions. The birds were carried into battle and would instinctively ﬂy back home. One pigeon, Cher Ami, or “dear friend” in French, is credited with saving the lives of about 200 American soldiers in the 77th Infantry Division by delivering messages across enemy lines in France in 1918. MO SEPTEMBER 2008 Then-Maj. James M. Stewart, USAAF, center, discusses mission details with fliers before they take off from England April 19, 1944. Ethan Allen was captured by the British after aborting an attack on Montreal. Allen was sent to England to be executed but returned to the U.S. in 1778 as part of a prisoner exchange. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS MILITARY OFFICER 113

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Military Officer - September 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Middle Ground Finance Your Future One Step at a Time Cover Story: Reducing the Threat Slow Boat Through China Practice Makes Perfect Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - September 2008

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