James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh in Spirit of St. Louis (1957)

James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997)

Stewart starred in many films widely considered classics and was
nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition
and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major
MGM contract star. He also had a noted military career and was
a World War II and Cold War veteran, who rose to the rank of
Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.

General Stewart

1952

T. E. Lawrence in 1900

    Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935)

    T. E. Lawrence was a British Army officer known for his liaison role 
during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the Arab Revolt against 
Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–1918. The extent and variety of his 
activities and associations, and his vivid description of them in writing,
earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title which 
was used for the 1962 film (Lawrence of Arabia) based on his World
War I activities starring Peter O’Toole. Lawrence was fatally injured
in a motorbike crash in Dorset.

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for
citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic
service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the
creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine
Corps and Air Force Days.

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed
Forces under the Department of Defense.

Actress Mary Debra Winger gained critical acclaim for her performance in 
Urban Cowboy in 1980 followed by her Academy Award-nominated work
in  An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). She also appeared in Terms of
Endearment (1983), and Shadowlands (1993).

Debra Winger and Richard Gere from An Officer and a Gentleman

Phil Silvers, 1941 

  

         Phil Silvers (May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985)

The comedy actor is best remembered for starring in The Phil Silvers
Show, a CBS sitcom that aired from 1955 to 1959. He played army
Sergeant Bilko. 

Silvers began an entertainment career at the young age of eleven,
singing in local theaters.