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"During other periods of our history when America
had to defend our allies or ourselves, such as World War II,
Hollywood heroes such as
Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, Glenn Ford, Henry Fonda and Elvis
Presley, Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin among others, donned our nations uniform and served their
country with pride. They put their careers on hold to defend our country and
our freedoms."
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Charles Bronson
1921-2003
Charles
D. Buchinski (Bronson) with his airplane commander Ken Trow
314th Wing, 39th Bomb
Group, 61st Squadron
Weather Observation Crew Member
Yesterday, Hollywood lost a true
American hero. Charles D. Buchinski aka Charles Bronson died Saturday in a
Los Angeles hospital after a month long bout with pneumonia. Star of many
films, such as ''The Magnificent Seven,'' ''The Great Escape,'' ''The Battle of
the Bulge,'' ''The Sandpiper'' and ''The Dirty Dozen''
which you can read about all over the Internet, but most famous for his Death
Wish films, we at Hollywood-Hero
want to tell you a bit about the man that you can't find much about on the
Internet.
We find it sad but not
surprising that entertainment writers choose to ignore that Charles Bronson
served as a nose gunner on a B-29 in World War II. As Charles D. Buchinski,
he served in the 314th Bomb Wing, 39th Bomb Group, 61st Squadron under Commander
Ken Trow, pictured above.
Fortunately, my Dad is a
veteran of World War II, having been a B-29 pilot serving in Guam, so I knew
exactly where to look to find this information.
We must never forget the
brave souls who have served our country both past and present. And we here
at Hollywood-Hero will
continue to highlight the Era of Hollywood when, during the last time this
country faced a world war, Hollywood was on our side.
After December 7, 1941,
with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. entered a period of massive home
front mobilization. This mobilization effort permeated all aspects of American
society, from industry to entertainment. President Roosevelt cited Hollywood for
its role during the wartime period, claiming that the motion picture was the
most effective medium to inform the nation.
By June of 1942, the
Office of War Information had become the official guardian of the film industry,
supervising the Hollywood propaganda machine. Studios churned out countless
movies glorifying the war, the men who served in it, and the American home front
which supported them. At the same time, other films reminded the moviegoer of
what the fighting was for: the preservation of American
culture and history. Hollywood stars set examples,
joined the services and went on USO tours, sold bonds, and promoted scrap
drives. When World War II ended, the film industry could congratulate
itself for a job well done. Hollywood went to war for the
mobilization effort, and returned victorious.
From the
Library of Congress
website
What a contrast with
today's Hollywood. Today we are facing a world wide war against terrorism.
There are evil people in the world who want to do nothing but kill us because we
are free. The last time we faced such an enemy, Hollywood was there.
Today, except for a few, our Hollywood elite are on protest lines and in the
media, disparaging the man who has the responsibility of dealing with this very
real and immediate threat.
Just another reason to
hearken back to another time in our history, when Hollywood made great films
starring true patriots, both men and women, who also participated in the war
effort both at home and overseas, on our side.
How we miss them.
God Bless, Charles Buchinski, we will never forget.
Written and posted by:
L.Sarrach-9-1-03
Clark Gable in front of
his plane-WWII
Jimmy Stewart being
awarded a medal-WWII
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