Veterans Day: 5 Famous Faces Who Served in the Military

Today the U.S. celebrates Veterans Day! Do you have any military veterans in your family?

Check out some famous faces you may not have known served in the military:

1. Bea Arthur

Bea Arthur

Did you know actress Bea Arthur served in the United States Marine Corp during World War II? Before she became a Golden Girl, Arthur served as a truck driver for 30 months as one of the first members of the Women’s Reserve.

2. Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett performing with a military band

Born Anthony Dominck Benedetto, Bennett has been singing from a young age. During the final stages of World War II, he was drafted into the U.S. Army as an infantryman. He fought in the front lines and later described the experience as a “front-row seat in hell.” He sang with the 314th Army Special Services Band under the stage name Joe Bari.

3. Drew Carey

Drew Carey in uniform

In 1980, comedian Drew Carey enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served for six years. It was during his service that he first began performing stand-up comedy.

4. Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston

Before winning an Academy Award for Best Actor, Charlton Heston enlisted in the United States Air Force for two years. He served as a radio operator and aerial gunner on a B-25 Mitchell. Stationed in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands with the 77th Bombardment Squadron of the Eleventh Air Force, Heston never saw combat. Soon after his rise to fame, Heston was asked to narrate highly classified military and Department of Energy instructional films relating to nuclear weapons. During this time, he held the nation’s highest security clearance, known as “Q clearance.”

5. Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart in uniform, 1918

In the spring of 1918, actor Humphrey Bogart enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 after being expelled from prep school. A model sailor, Bogart spent much of his time ferrying troops back from Europe after the end of World War I. He reportedly received his trademark scar after being hit with a piece of shrapnel while at sea.