German Forces

Col. Jimmy Stewart Goes Home

Actor, and WWII bomber pilot, Colonel Jimmy Stewart comes home to his fathers hardware shop. He stated in this Life Magazine expose that he wanted to return to acting, but not in war pictures. He said "a nice comedy" would be his preference. Stewart's service was genuinely harrowing and saw him flying well over twenty missions. Stewart was drafted and initially rejected by the Army as being underweight. He then bulked up with the help of a Hollywood trainer and enlisted in the Army Air Corp. Rarely speaking about his wartime service, Stewart was on the BBC landmark series "World at War" where he discussed his participation in the near-disastrous Schweinfurt "Black Thursday" raid in 1943, where the USAAF suffered unsustainable losses. Stewart was initially given soft duties but lobbied to be sent to combat where as a leader, he inspired his crews by flying lead in a B-24 and refusing to have the missions counted towards a reprieve of sorts. Even though he didn't have to, Stewart flew to the end of the war. Unsure he could still act at a high level after his service, he resumed acting in Frank Capra's quintessential 1946 American holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life" as the noble George Bailey. His service continued in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with Stewart attaining the rank of Brigadier General, and even flying further combat missions over North Vietnam during the 1960s. Stewart died in 1997 on July 2 at the age of 89. Jimmy Stewart was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale California, next to his wife Gloria. Upon his death, President Bill Clinton said: "America lost a national treasure today. Jimmy Stewart was a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot." Regards, NickD. Thanks to Time & Life and Wikipedia for the information.