"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Thursdays Thoughts - Jimmy Stewart

Okay - I LOVE - Jimmy Stewart - A friend sent me this and I thought I'd share.

 This is my favorite movie of all times - do yo know what it is?

                        Jimmy Stewart's Military Career

James ‘Jimmy’ Stewart was one of the most popular leading men in Hollywood, starring in such classic films as “The Philadelphia Story” (1940), “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946), “Harvey” (1950), and “Rear Window” (1954). Despite being a successful actor, Stewart was a patriotic man who believed when his country needed men to serve, he would join the rest as a regular soldier.

Inspired by his family’s military background dating back to the Civil War, James Stewart wanted to be a part of the service as well. When it was getting closer to the fact that America would inevitably join WWII, Stewart tried to enlist, hoping his private pilot license would gain him a position as fighter pilot. He was rejected due to being underweight. Stewart returned to Hollywood but made an effort to gain weight in order to pass the 148 LB requirement. After building some muscle, Stewart returned. This time, he barely made the weight requirement by one ounce. Finally, Stewart was enlisted. Eight months later, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Stewart was recognized as the first actor to serve in WW II.

Throughout Stewart’s military career, he insisted on not being treated special which resulted in him steadily working his way from private to colonel in four years. First, Stewart started out as an instructor pilot. By the time he was sent overseas, Stewart was commander of Eighth Air Force bomber squadron — one of his sergeants was future actor Walter Mathau. In 1945, Stewart returned to Hollywood to continue making films – his first post-war success was “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946).

When America employed the draft for The Vietnam War, a lot of men dodged the draft. A staunch patriot, James Stewart has been quoted as saying, “I hate them! I absolutely hate them! Whether right or wrong, their country was at war and their country asked them to serve, and they refused and ran away. Cowards, that’s what they were.” Stewart himself flew combat missions during that same war as well. He lost his son Ronald who fought in the Vietnam War as well. He officially retired from the military in 1966.

By the end of James Stewart’s military career, he had risen to the rank of Brigadier General and remains to be one of the few men to rise from private to colonel in four years. Steward has been the recipient of the Croix de Guerre award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Distinguished Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, as well as receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and the Air Medal four times. His military uniform and decorations can be seen at the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA.


 He is a true hero!




                                                        THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -  I borrowed it from Jill at Chillin With Jill

I borrowed this picture from Jill - I hope it was okay Jill.  Now when I look at this flower - I see beauty.  It's gorgeous.  She mentioned something I thought about - there is an imperfection on that flower.  Did you see it?  Did you have to look hard for it?

Did it ruin THE FLOWER?

I was thinking how often we do that to ourselves.  We have a nice great body - and yes we all have some imperfections.  So do we concentrate on the good body we have or do we think and concentrate on the imperfection?

Let's not miss the whole wonderful picture we are - for one little blemish.  Forget the blemish and love yourself.




60 comments:

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I love It's a Wonderful Life! It's not Christmastime without watching it at least once!

And an excellent reminder that one small imperfection does not the person make. ;-)

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

He wrote poetry too. I have one of his books, LOVE IT.
He was truly a gentleman.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea Jimmy S. served in the military.

MadSnapper said...

i can live with the spots on my body and mind and soul, because i have no spot remover... but with the flower, the blemish is gone with one click. wish i had a clicker for me. I love Jimmy Stewart and always have

Shelly said...

Jimmy Stewart is one of my all time favorites!

Anonymous said...

interesting...i dont now the movie..but seems a old one..old movies i always so good remembering old times...thanks for sharing..

Granny Annie said...

Jimmy Stewart would not be getting any roles in Hollywood movies today because of his patriotism and daring to call draft dodgers traitors.

Jill said...

I have always adored and respected Jimmy Stewart. He could teach this new generation a thing or two!

Glad you used my flower! :)

Beth said...

I love Jimmy Stewart and the movie I have seen a dozen times or more.

Cranberry Morning said...

What a fascinating post! I didn't know this about him. It is wonderful to hear of a real patriot. I think they're becoming more scarce.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I have always loved Jimmy Stewart. What a sweetheart he was. I wasn't aware of the extent of his military career though. Old movies like It's a wonderful life just never seem to loose their quality. I guess most watch it every Christmas. I just saw it for the first time this past December and loved it of course. We are all imperfect people. Accepting ourselves for who we are is the hard part. Hope you have a great Thursday!

Paula said...

I guess I do love myself as I'm heading for my weekly massage in a bit. Just wanted to stop in to say "good morning" and see what good advice you have for your followers today and as usual it is good advice.

Debbie said...

I really like Jimmy Stewart movies. I was unaware of his military history. How interesting!! Thanks for sharing. I now have even more respect for him!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

A great message w/ the flower pic!

Nikki (Sarah) said...

never heard of the movie but it sounds great. I love forget the blemish and love yourself. Great advice. Have a fun day out there...stay cool.

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

One of my favorite movies as well. I watch it every Xmas. And yeah, Jimmy's great!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

One of my favorite movies as well. I watch it every Xmas. And yeah, Jimmy's great!

Anonymous said...

such a great man, wonderful post this morning, I hope you have a great day!

Unknown said...

I don't think about the body at all ... it is just there, I worry more about the soul.

Love Jimmy Steward, an amazing beautiful man.

Love the header, so true, sweet friend.
TTFN ~
Hugs & love,
Marydon

BelovedBomber said...

I love It's a Wonderful Life! Have the family sit and watch it with me every year! Many blessings!

TexWisGirl said...

sadly, as women we don't celebrate our bodies, but continually focus on the imperfections.

jack69 said...

Jimmy was one of my favorites. I knew he was active duty during the wars, but a lot of that is new to me. Thanks.
As always I grab a gem of knowledge here. You are right, we need to ignore some imperfections and see what we have that is right and good.

I am gonna ignore my imperfections in the use of ENGLIS? LOL

Love you lady, great entry as always.

Mary said...

Great thoughts. I did not know that about Jimmy Steward.. what a great guy. I love his movies...It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation...remember that one. Hahhaha.

renae said...

it's a wonderful life

o and that pic it taken from the best scene in the movie.

and

i have to watch it every Christmas since i divorced because i wanted that kind of love and devotion.

my husband and i both love that scene and we always kiss after it.

love to you, Sandie dear!!

Renae

Pondside said...

Jimmy Stewart always makes me think of my father - another very gentle, very self-effacing but strong man.

Unknown said...

Great post, thoughtful and nice.
I like that move as well :-)
Have a lovely day my friend.
Hugs,
Eva

Miss Debbie said...

And he was married to his wife forever, too! A good guy for sure!

barbara l. hale said...

I'm a fan, too, but am sick of "It's a Wonderful Life." I have to wait a few more years til I watch it again.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Sandie, who hasn't seen It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed...well maybe there are a few. We re-watch it every holiday season and the original B&W version is still our favorite. I knew that JS was in the military as were many of the big name performers stars of their time, Clark Gable, Glenn Miller, Ted Williams. Unfortunately, you don't see patriotism like that in today's crop of so-called stars. Sad isn't it?

The Boston Lady said...

I always knew Jimmy Stewart was a class act and a true American hero. George Bailey, I love you. Ann

Unknown said...

So true, so true, all of this - I especially love that first quote, so very true1

Jocelyn said...

The thought of the day was so like God's message to me as I sent someone an email earlier detailing my flaws and why I'm not beautiful at all. I needed to read this... thank you!

Ann said...

I've always loved Jimmy Stewart.
Excellent point about the flaws. We all need to lighten up on ourselves a bit :)

Arkansas Patti said...

His movies were always a must see for me. I knew some of his war record but did not know how decorated he really was. I loved the sound of his voice. My favorite movie of his was The Stratton Story.

momto8 said...

oh my gosh...I love love to hear real stories of heroes...so inspirational to me. thank you..I did not know any of this.

SquirrelQueen said...

It isn't really Christmas until I have watched It's A Wonderful Life at least once.

I knew a little about Jimmy Stewart's military career but I didn't realize he retired as a Brigadier General. He has always been one of my favorite actors.

That is a beautiful flower. I see some bloggers who touch up photos or apologize because a flower has a flaw. It is those little flaws that give the flowers, and us, our character. Those little things make us special.

PS, I love the story of Mae in your post below.

Knitty said...

That is my favorite movie! Jimmy Stewart was a real gem. I just started reading Carol Burnett's book "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection" which begins with Jimmy Stewart.

She was invited to the set of a movie being filmed long before she was known in show business. She was surprised to see Jimmy Stewart whom she had admired since seeing him in movies as a young girl. He was a surprise guest on her last show of her variety series. They had become such fans of each other, they presented each other with various awards and gave heart felt speeches.

I've barely begun the book, but I bet there will be more about him.

Lynn said...

I LOVE The Philadelphia Story - I've seen it so many times I can recite lines along with the actors. :)

Susan said...

Hi Sandie....

Wickedly busy day here. Woo hoo Love Jimmy Stewart, too. Imagine. Our hero was UNDERWEIGHT. Cheeze, he was trying to make 148 pounds. Holy crumoley. (I think I made up that word. ha ha ha)

You are right about the forgetting the blemish and loving ourselves. True words of wisdom. Susan

Lois Christensen said...

I love his movies also and I love his military service! I have a very bad body image of myself, but then again, I do have scoliosis and am very crooked. Kind of hard NOT to have a bad image! But one day, a new and perfect body. Enjoy Sandie!

Dee said...

He was a favorite of mine...you can not help but like the guy..on and off screen.

Grammy Goodwill said...

That's just one more reason to love Jimmy Stewart. Such a change in Hollywood noawadays.

Sweet Tea said...

Mister and I are BIG Jimmy Stewart fans. I enjoy his films, but the one we watch every year is "It's a Wonderful Life" - the lesson and the message never get old!

Annesphamily said...

Sandie I have missed you! Between packing for college with Nick and the Olympics, the business of my office and my toe surgery.

Funny how we overlook the little things! I thought your post was so kind and thoughtful.
Love and Hugs to you and yours!

TARYTERRE said...

We love Jmmy Stewart too. My hubby was a pilot so he was quite aware of Stewart's background. He was a rare gem in Hollywood.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

He is still one of my all time favorite actors- love his movies!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Sandie, YES---I definitely have lots of imperfections and blemishes... Thanks be to God--that we are not expected to be perfect.

I loved Jimmy Stewart also--and Rear Window was a fav of mine.
Hugs,
Betsy

Rob-bear said...

Thanks for sharing the information about Jimmy Stewart. I didn't know any of that.

Considering the imperfections in our world, I tend not to see a lot of things, and not worry about not seeing them. LIfe isn't perfect, and I don't think we should expect it to be.

Rob-bear said...

I didn't know all that about Jimmy Stewart. Thanks for the information.

And there are enough imperfection in life that I tend not to look for them, or worry about them.

Debbie Jones said...

Great Thursday post! I really like Jimmy Stewart too, and I didn't know all of that about him. I really learned something. Wow, he really was a hero! Thanks for this post. Enjoy your Friday tomorrow!

Rick Watson said...

I never knew that about Jimmy.

Unknown said...

I didn't know that he was with the Eighth Air Force, which flew out England and suffered horrible losses while dropping bombs on Germany before D-Day.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I can't think of a Jimmy Stewart movie that I don't love he was one of the all time best actors.......

Jim said...

Good post today, Sandie.
I liked Jimmy Stewart too. I never did care to much for "It's a Wonderful Life." In fact I don't watch it anymore. I do admire him for his service for our country also.

Imperfections? Guess we all have some, some more than others. But then the old saying, 'nobody's perfect.'
..

Tanna said...

Just seems like there were more HEROS in that era. Amazing people.

Good point on the imperfections, Sandie!!! blessings ~ tanna

Debbie said...

I never knew that about Jimmy Stewart, and he is my all time favorite actor. I love him.

And he was in the "Mighty Eighth"?!? That's even cooler because that's a Georgia thing.

Debbie said...

BTW, I don't have any imperfections. I'm perfect.
Humble too.

LOL

Starry Dawn said...

Oh, Sandie,
You have just mentioned one of my favourite actors of all times, Jimmy Steward. He was a real hero!
"Rare Window" with Grace Kelly was my favourite Jimmy Steward's Movie.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with the world, my friend!!
Thank you also for visiting my sites and writing wise comments!!
Have a great day, Sandie!!
Warm Hugs,
Starry.

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

I'm w/ so many people here. I love JS. He was such an honorable man, honest, hard-working, a real gentleman. We don't have actors like that anymore.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

My favorite movie too! It is not Christmas until I watch it on Christmas Eve.