18 year-old Private George Kennedy (1943)
At the height of World War II in 1943, George Kennedy enlisted in the Army while still in high school. Originally he wanted to be a pilot in the Air Corps, but at 6'4" he overshot the pilot height limit of 6'2". He was eventually assigned to the Infantry and was sent to fight in Europe. He served under General George Patton in the 99th Infantry Division's Cannon Company, 395th Infantry Regiment, and saw action in North Africa, Anzio, and the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, George was assigned to the Army Signal Corps as a Public Communications Officer where his baritone voice landed him on the air as a radio host and DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Network. Eventually he helped establish the Army Information Office under General William Westmoreland at the Pentagon, which provided technical services to the film and television industries. It was in this capacity that George served as Army technical advisor on The Phil Silvers Show (Sgt. Bilko) and set his future career in motion.
George served 16 years in the Army before heading to Hollywood. Before retiring at the rank of Captain, he earned 2 Bronze Stars for valor and four rows of service medals, including the Presidential Unit Citation, the American Campaign medal, the Europe/African/Middle Eastern Campaign medal, the World War II Victory medal, the Army Occupation medal, and the National Defense Service medal.
