Navy veterans shine in music, other fields.
The U.S. Navy celebrates its birthday on Oct. 13. In 1775, a naval force was established by the Continental Congress to aid in the conflict with the British. Some prominent figures found themselves in interesting places and jobs during their time in service.
Yogi Berra: The Major League Baseball Hall of Famer (and American Legion Baseball alum) put his nascent career with the Yankees on hold to serve in the Navy during World War II; he was a gunner’s mate on USS Bayfield on D-Day.
Tony Curtis: The actor also served during World War II; he watched the 1945 signing ceremony in Tokyo Bay via binoculars from USS Proteus. He later used the GI Bill to take acting classes.
John Coltrane: The saxophone legend enlisted on Aug. 6, 1945, just before the end of World War II; stationed in Hawaii, he played in a base swing band and made his first recordings there.
Nancy Kulp: During World War II, the actress best known for “The Beverly Hillbillies” joined the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) in 1943 after graduating college, rising to the rank of lieutenant, and left in 1945.
Jesse Ventura: the former professional wrestler and former governor is also a veteran of SEAL Team 12, Underwater Demolition, in the Vietnam War period.
Zach Bryan: the young country singer with three Billboard Top 10 songs to his credit is a Navy “brat” born on Okinawa who continued the family tradition by serving seven years, including as an aviation ordnanceman. He was deployed to Bahrain and Djibouti, and received an honorable discharge in October 2021 to pursue his music full-time.
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