Old Hollywood Stars That Served In The United States Military   |  Steve McQueen

In 1947, McQueen joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was quickly promoted to Private First Class and assigned to an armored unit.  Initially, he reverted to his prior rebelliousness, and as a result was demoted to private seven times. He went UA (unauthorized absence) by failing to return after a weekend pass had expired. He instead stayed away with a girlfriend for two weeks, until the shore patrol caught him. He resisted arrest and as a result spent 41 days in the brig.   After this, McQueen resolved to focus his energies on self-improvement and embraced the Marines’ discipline. He saved the lives of five other Marines during an Arctic exercise, pulling them from a tank before it broke through ice into the sea.  He was also assigned to an honor guard responsible for guarding then-U.S. President Harry Truman’s yacht.  He served until 1950 when he was honorably discharged.