# Famous Viet Nam vets **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179 "2008-01-19T19:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/1 "2008-01-19T19:17:16Z")
Lets not go into why this popped into my head. Sometimes I’m not sure how things connect in there. I was trying to figure out how many famous people were Viet Nam vets. Of course quite a few actors and such were WWII vets but I could only come up with a handful of Viet Nam vets. I’m leaving out anyone who is famous for being a soldier or their fame began with their Viet Nam service which would leave out Colin Powell, Norman Schwartzkoff, John Kerry, John McCain, R. Lee Ermey, David Hackworth… (my thread my rules 🆒 ). Off the top of my head: Dennis Franz, Dennis Farina (I seem to remember hearing that and I know he was in the military at the time but can’t confirm he was in Viet Nam), Oliver Stone, Bob Simon CBS News, author Joe Haldeman and author David Drake. Chuck Norris was stationed in Korea but completed his enlistment before major US involvement started in Viet Nam. His brother was KIA years later. I’m sure there are more. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/2 "2008-01-19T20:45:36Z")
[Pat Sajak](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Sajak). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/3 "2008-01-19T21:06:04Z")
Author [Mark Berent](http://www.markberent.com/about.htm). ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/4 "2008-01-19T21:22:42Z")
Forrest Gump Author Winston Groom. Rocky Bleier, the running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers Willie Miller a wide receiver who played in the Super Bowl with the then Los Angeles Rams. Charlie Johnson a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Cowboys QB Roger Staubach served in the Navy in Vietnam theater of operations. ---
**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/5 "2008-01-19T21:31:40Z")
An author who writes a lot about his experiences there. “The Things They Carried” is a great story. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/6 "2008-01-19T21:32:48Z")
[Wes Studi](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0836071/) ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/7 "2008-01-19T21:40:29Z")
Also, Jesse Ventura would fit. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/8 "2008-01-19T21:41:48Z")
Here’s the ones I found in Wikipedia: \*Radio personality Art Bell apparently served during the war (he was a USAF medic) but I can’t confirm he was in Vietnam. \*Actor/comedian Buzz Belmondo (whose real name is Lorenzo Matawaran) served in the Army in Vietnam. \*Astronauts John Blaha, John Casper, Jon McBride, and Dick Scobee were combat pilots in Vietnam. \*Rudy Boesch, of the reality series Survivor, served two tours in Vietnam. \*Actor Blake Clark \*Comic book artist Dave Cockrum served in the Navy during Vietnam but I don’t know if he was in combat. \*Author Stephen Coonts was a Navy combat pilot in Vietnam. \*Author Nelson DeMille was an Army infantry lieutenant in Vietnam. \*Author Robert Flynn \*Nelson Ford, who helped develop the concept of shareware, was a Marine in Vietnam. \*Sports team owner Peter Holt was an infantryman in Vietnam. \*Comic book writer Larry Hama was an Army engineer in Vietnam. \*_Forrest Gump_ author Winston Groom served in the Army in Vietnam. \*Software developer Jeff Sutherland was a USAF pilot in Vietnam. \*Author Tracy Kidder \*_Sixty Minutes_ journalist Steve Kroft served in the Amry in Vietnam \*Actor Dan Lauria was a Marine officer in Vietnam. \*Actor Richard Lawson \*Actor Al Matthews was a Marine in Vietnam. \*Author Armistead Maupin is a Navy veteran who served a tour in Vietnam. \*[GoDaddy.com](http://GoDaddy.com) CEO Bob Parsons was a Marine in Vietnam. \*_Wheel of Fortune_ host Pat Sajak served in the Army in Vietnam. \*Filmmaker Tom Savini \*Playwright Larry Shue served in the Army in Vietnam \*FedEx CEO Frederick Smith was a Marine in Vietnam. \*Football player Roger Staubach was a Navy officer who served a tour in Vietnam. \*Actor Wes Studi served in the Army in Vietnam \*Actor/politician Jesse Ventura was a Navy Seal during Vietnam but I don’t know if he served in combat. \*Author Robert Vaughan was an Army officer in Vietnam. \*Comedian Ron White was in the Navy during Vietnam but I don’t know if he served in combat. \*The Allman Brothers Band’s bassist Lamar Williams served in the Army in Vietnam. \*Actor Demond Wilson ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/9 "2008-01-19T21:45:26Z")
I’m ignoring your rule (my post, my rule 🆒 ). Senator Jeremiah Denton (former Admiral) of Alabama was a POW in Vietnam for 8 years, and in solitary confinement for four of them. He famously appeared in an “interview” while in prison, in which he covertly passed intelligence to American forces that, among other things, he and his fellow POW’s were being tortured (by blinking his eyes in Morse code, if you can believe that.) He was finally released, and a movie was made (following his memoir) based on his experience, starring Hal Holbrook. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/10 "2008-01-19T21:57:31Z")
Beloved character actor (and more) Jim Beaver. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/11 "2008-01-19T22:01:52Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] He famously appeared in an “interview” while in prison, in which he covertly passed intelligence to American forces that, among other things, he and his fellow POW’s were being tortured (by blinking his eyes in Morse code, if you can believe that.) [/QUOTE] It was code but not Morse. According to Berent, prisoners had set up their own code on a 5×5 grid, leaving out “c”. One series of blinks/taps/whatever was “across” and a second series “down”. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/12 "2008-01-19T22:18:33Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] It was code but not Morse. According to Berent, prisoners had set up their own code on a 5×5 grid, leaving out “c”. One series of blinks/taps/whatever was “across” and a second series “down”. [/QUOTE] I stand corrected. Although I remember reading about the incident, my memory for the details was fuzzy, and I got my info from Wiki. Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-viet-nam-vets/434179/13 "2008-01-19T22:50:31Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] I stand corrected. Although I remember reading about the incident, my memory for the details was fuzzy, and I got my info from Wiki. Thanks for the correction. [/QUOTE] I should be thanking _you_ for the background on Berent’s “Hanoi Hilton interview” sequence. 🙂 And I will.