While celebrities like Betty White, Morgan Freeman, Tom Selleck and more made a name for themselves in the entertainment industry, they also felt a higher calling to serve their country.
While Freeman was passionate about theater, he decided to turn down a drama scholarship at Jackson State University in order to pursue his air force dream.
“This is the kid who joined the Air Force ‘way back when.’ His love for flying was ignited by watching movies every week at his local theatre,” the Shawshank Redemption actor wrote via Facebook in November 2019 alongside his official military photo. “I salute all of our service members for their selfless sacrifice and their dedication to our peace and freedom.”
Selleck, for his part, was already on his way to becoming a bonafide star when he received a draft notice for the Vietnam War.
“I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense,” Selleck recalled in a 2022 interview with Military.com.
Keep scrolling to see Freeman, Selleck and more stars — including Adam Driver and Drew Carey — who are military veterans:
Long before she cohosted The Talk, Underwood served in the Air Force. She enlisted as a field medic in 1981 and went on to be stationed at bases throughout the in country California, Texas and Alabama. She moved to Chicago when she joined joined the O’Hare Air Reserve Station. She was deployed in support of several exercises, including two Exercise Reforgers in West Germany and Team Spirit in South Korea, according to the Department of Defense.
After serving with the Air Force, Underwood started a career in comedy. She has joined USO tours in Kuwait and Afghanistan to entertain the troops.
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When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, White signed up for the American Women’s Voluntary Services. In her time in the service, she collected supplies and drove them to the barracks in the Hollywood Hills while also attending dances for departing troops at night.
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The former The Price Is Right host served in the United States Navy Reserve in 1943 during World War II. He originally signed up to train as a fighter pilot but did not go on active duty.
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Like her future Golden Girls costar White, Arthur volunteered at the start of World War II. The All in the Family alum was one of the first to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in 1943. After completing basic training, she became a typist at the Marines’ headquarters in Washington D.C. before transferring to North Carolina to assist as a truck driver. Upon finishing her service in 1945, Arthur earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
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The singer was drafted in 1958 — several years after he started topping the music charts. He joined the Army and was stationed in Germany from October 1958 to March 1960, which is when he completed active duty. He was discharged from the Army Reserve in 1964.
While overseas, Elvis met future wife Priscilla Presley, whose father was an Air Force officer also stationed in Germany.
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After dropping out of college in 1980, the comedian opted to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1980. Carey served as a field radio operator in the 25th Marine Regiment in Ohio for six years.
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Shortly after 9/11, Driver enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 18. Two years into his service, the Star Wars actor fractured his sternum after getting into a mountain bike accident. Driver and his troop were set to deploy to Iraq at the time but due to his worsening injury, the Girls alum was medically discharged and earned the rank of lance corporal upon his exit. In 2015, Driver opened up about the injury that cut his military career short.
“It was pretty devastating. It took me a long time to get over it,” he confessed during an interview on the radio show Fresh Air with Terry Gross. “It’s really about the people, this small, intimate group of people that you are lucky enough to get to serve with. And it’s about them. Then, not going because you hurt yourself was pretty embarrassing and terrible.”
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Selleck joined the California National Guard amid receiving a draft notice for the Vietnam War. He went on to serve in the 160th Infantry Regiment from 1967 to 1973. His photo was later used for the California National Guard’s recruitment posters.
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Freeman began his air force career repairing automatic tracking radars, which were used to measure the location of aircraft and missiles. Freemen served from 1955 to 1959 and exited the airfare with the rank of Airman First Class.
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Before becoming a comedian, Riggle had hopes of becoming a naval aviator with the Marines. He enlisted in 1990 after getting his pilot’s license. As he attended school to become a military pilot, Riggle decided he wanted to pursue his dreams of comedy instead. He opted to become a Ground Officer which had a shorter contract. He served for nine years on active duty before going into the reserves.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Riggle was called upon to assist at Ground Zero. Shortly after, he volunteered to return to active duty and was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2007, Riggle also served as a military correspondent for The Daily Show and went to Iraq to entertain troops under the purview of the USO. He officially retired from the Marines Reserves in 2013 after 23 years of service
In his time with the Marines, Riggle attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and received a series of accolades including the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal and more.
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Prince Harry served in the British Army for a decade. He served as a pilot and rose to the rank of Captain while undertaking two tours of Afghanistan. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry opened up about his time in the service and shared that he flew on six missions that resulted in the deaths of 25 Taliban members. Following his exit from the army, Harry continued to work with veterans and founded his nonprofit, the Invictus Games, which is a sporting event for injured veterans.
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Like his brother, the Prince of Wales also served in the British military and completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time service. However, William decided to train in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and became a sub-lieutenant and flying officer, respectively. He opted not to serve on the frontlines given his line of succession in the monarchy.
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