So says the front cover of some one-off tribute magazine I just saw at the checkout line. I had no idea. I wonder who the runner up is.
A quick Google search shows Google doesn’t know it either.
I’d say he was the actor who is most closely associated with patriotic values. Greatest patriot? Let’s see: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steven Colbert…
Audie Murphy when he flew in to receive his Medal of Honor riding a bald eagle while wearing the Stars and Stripes as a cape.
No way. He had a girls name. That disqualifies him from everything.
Ronny Reagan is the Greatest Patriot ever.
Anyone who actually enlisted has a better claim.
It doesn’t surprise me that he would take first place. The man absolutely loved his country and had been a committed patriot all his life. Of course anyone is free to disagree with his definition of patriotism and what America means but the important thing is that he believed it and the belief was shared by the majority of his fellow citizens at the time. For number 2 I’d expect another patriotic movie star, maybe one who had actually fought for his country (Wayne didn’t), someone like Jimmy Stewart.
Tom Brady…
Wayne wasn’t even the most patriotic film actor (take a look at Jimmy Stewart some time), but he made a big deal of his patriotism, especially in the 60s.
I know nobody but me cares about this sort of thing, but the US Flag Code specifically says *not * to *wear *a flag. Just like your Grandma tells you not to wear your rosary like a necklace. It’s tacky.
That’s highly disputable. For a start many who enlisted may have left the services totally unpatriotic. War can certainly have that effect. And the competition was not measuring bravery but patriotism. Those are two completely different things. It’s quite possible to be unpatriotic and brave and it’s also possible to be a patriot unable or unwilling to fight. The latter may not be a fine specimen of humanity but you don’t need to be that to qualify as a patriot, you simply have to love your country. In short your assertion is nonsense.
Yeah, he should have been a librarian.
Anyone who was willing to give his life for his country has a better claim to love it than someone who chose instead to make a profitable career out of flagwaving. I would not have thought that to be disputable.
If that struck a nerve, kindly tell us which one.
qft. +1
qft. +1
I think a lot of WWII vets would argue with John Wayne being #1, considering that people like Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphy went to fight in the war and Mr. Wayne got deferments to keep making movies.
Jimmy Stewart enlisted as a private, rose to the rank of Colonel during the war, flew missions on B-17s and B-24s, bombed Berlin, received numerous medals, remained in the reserves after the war, was eventually promoted to Brigadier General and actually flew as an observer on a B-52 mission over Vietnam.
“Audie Leon Murphy was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II, receiving every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism.”
John Wayne may have been a patriot. He was also a white supremacist. He said, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.” He also approved of Americans taking land from the Native Americans who were “selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”
I thought he was terrific in “The Shootist”, though.
No mention of Clark Gable? Or Elvis?
I don’t believe there was any “competition”. The headline was on a single-issue tribute magazine someone saw at the checkout stand. I’ve seen similar things, perhaps from Life or Time magazines, about the Beatles or other celebrities. It’s just bullshit meant to appeal to a niche crowd and sell magazines containing mostly or entirely material from the archives (along with brand-new advertising). I’ll bet if you looked at the ads from that John Wayne tribute issue, you could figure out who they’re targeting. My guess is that the magazine is going to be filled with ads for things that appeal to the elderly.
Ronald Reagan.