Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:23 pm Post subject: Medal of Freedom petition
Dear Friends,
I have a request of you, not for me and it won't cost anything, just a bit of time. There is a group trying to get
The Medal of Freedom bestowed on Carole Landis. Who is or was she? Carole was a beautiful, giving movie
actress of the late 1930s and 1940s. During the war she traveled MORE MILES and entertained MORE US troops
than any other USO performer. She was voted MANY times as the G. I.s favorite pinup.
She spent over eight months overseas entertaining the troops IN COMBAT zones. In North Africa in '43 she
lived through several German bombing and strafing attacks while with US G.I.s On one occasion, the transport she was on
was attacked by German aircraft, but they were driven off by US fighter escort. When Carole was not on overseas tours
she worked many stateside USO clubs through out WWII. Sadly, Carole died at age 29, by what was called a suicide.
But like Marilyn Monroe, many questions remain to this day. The details of her death didn't add up and all police records
and reports disappeared some three years later! Most people think of Bob Hope entertaining, but the truth is Bob went
out first by one month. He went to Alaska, Carole and her three actress friends including Martha Raye (now buried at Ft. Bragg, NC) went out a month later to England and then on to North Africa and the combat zones there. This was in Oct of '42 through Mar. '43 Carole wrote a book about her tour called 4 Jills in a Jeep, 20th century Fox made a movie by the same name starring the four girls the following year. Carole later toured the South West Pacific with Jack Benny from June till Nov. '44. She contracted malaria and embolic dysentery and all but died while there. Carole was, like most of us NOT a saint, but she did love and support the US fighting men in WWII. NOT with her words, but with her actions. Entertainers were not paid by the studios while on tour and the USO paid them 10.00 (ten) dollars a show. Carole gave up over $30,000.00 dollars in 1943 money to do the North Africa tour. The amount for 1944 was said to be more than that. But the money was not what it was about, she did these tours for the good of US troops. This girl should get the honor she deserves. Carole was a product of the depression and made a success of herself. She was loved by many a G.I. and she felt that by giving these shows for them, she in someway could give back to them for all they were giving up for us! Please take time to sign this petition to get Carole Landis the
MEDAL of FREEDOM.
Also I would ask that you send the link on to all you think would help with this .....for Carole.
Thanx, James H. Freeman, Jr.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum