Fighters who saw military action

[mr. magoo]

Does anyone know about fighters who served in say, vietnam, WWII, WWI, Korea, Desert storm and other wars that took place around the globe?

[Jaaames]

I think Malcolm Tann was in Afghanistan.... I cant think of anyone else...

[mr. magoo]

Ray Mancini's father was a contender, whom I believe served in the second world war.

James Braddock served as well, but I don't know if he was ever in combat.

Louis, of course did military service, but didn't see any action.

[heerko koois]

Bep Van Klaveren ....

[Dempsey1238]

Barney Ross fought in WW2, and became a war hero.

Gene Tunney was a WW1 hero.

Rocky Marciano serve in ww2.

[TBooze]

Barney Ross fought in WW2, and became a war hero.


Great call, Ross was awarded the Silver Star for heroic actions at Guadalcanal.

Dempsey redeemed himself in World War II from those who suggested he dodged the draft in the Great War.

[mcvey]

Does anyone know about fighters who served in say, vietnam, WWII, WWI, Korea, Desert storm and other wars that took place around the globe?
Barney Ross is the most well known he was decorated for bravery,woundedin action his subsequent drug addiction was a result of the morphine he was prescribed for the pain,Lew Jenkins was in the Army twice,he re-enlisted after his boxing career was over and his personal life was a mess,he served in the Korean War ,and was decorated for gallantry ,credited for saving the lives of many of his comrades behind enemy lines,Gene Tunney was billed as the "Fighting Marine ",but in fact when he got to france in WW1 the armistice had benn signed,Georges Carpentier,was a pilot during ww1 and was awarded the Croix De Guerre,Frances highest honour for bravery.Jack Dempsey redeemed himself by enlisting in the Coast Guard and landing on the beaches at D Day.

[Minotauro]

Carpentier was a war hero he was awarded with two of the highest French military honors.

[joe33]

Jack Dempsey in ww2 got shit i think for "ducking" ww1.Though i dont think he was in action.
Max schemlling got a medal for the battle of crete,as a german para when that force got slaughtered in the drops,but i believe it wss all a fake,he was in the unit,but i read he was ill,but of course it got wicked publicity in germany.

[TBooze]

Max schemlling got a medal for the battle of crete,as a german para when that force got slaughtered in the drops,but i believe it wss all a fake,he was in the unit,but i read he was ill,but of course it got wicked publicity in germany.

Schmeling is credited with saving Jewish lives during the Second World War.

[joe33]

Schmeling is credited with saving Jewish lives during the Second World War.

Yeah it was his neighbours i believe,but he was in the war though,but had little choice id have said but join.

[TBooze]

Yeah it was his neighbours i believe,but he was in the war though,but had little choice id have said but join.

Fair point; IMO 99% of Germans are ultimately blameless in WWII. If you listen to their stories, I think if Hitler had been in control of any of the Allied powers, we would of done the same thing. That is what is so unnerving about Hitler...

[joe33]

Fair point; IMO 99% of Germans are ultimately blameless in WWII. If you listen to their stories, I think if Hitler had been in control of any of the Allied powers, we would of done the same thing. That is what is so unnerving about Hitler...

Thats true,thats the problem with having a dictator in charge,you have to do what he says,look at stalin as well,him and hitler cared little for there men,they were just numbers on a map,and they did not see there misery and horrors they were going through,and if they had off they would have not cared one little bit.

[elgar102]

Schmeling got injured in action serving as a para in WWII. I remember watching a documentary where it was suggested that Max was kind of railroaded into service as a punishment even though he was over the draft age for that particular unit. It also covered the incident where he picked up his Jewish neighbours kids in his car and sheltered them. What a legend.

[Duodenum]

At the invasion of Okinawa, while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Jack Dempsey was on board the attack transport ship USS Arthur Middleton, and came ashore with a group of men he had trained into combat at age 49. This made him the first HW champion eligible for internment at Arlington cemetery without a special exemption (such as the one Ronald Reagan gave to Joe Louis), although it wasn't invoked. (During the battle, he captured a fleeing Japanese, only to discover it was a 90 year old man! Nonetheless, Dempsey actually did go into combat.)

[mcvey]

Jack Dempsey in ww2 got shit i think for "ducking" ww1.Though i dont think he was in action.
Max schemlling got a medal for the battle of crete,as a german para when that force got slaughtered in the drops,but i believe it wss all a fake,he was in the unit,but i read he was ill,but of course it got wicked publicity in germany.
Schmeling permanently damaged his knee parachuting over Crete,at a relatively advanced age.He was a decent man and not in any way anti -semitic.

[joe33]

At the invasion of Okinawa, while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Jack Dempsey was on board the attack transport ship USS Arthur Middleton, and came ashore with a group of men he had trained into combat at age 49. This made him the first HW champion eligible for internment at Arlington cemetery without a special exemption (such as the one Ronald Reagan gave to Joe Louis), although it wasn't invoked. (During the battle, he captured a fleeing Japanese, only to discover it was a 90 year old man! Nonetheless, Dempsey actually did go into combat.)


A 90 year old man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: ,damn sorry but thats nuts,kind of hard to see how he could be seen as a jap soldier for hells sake.He sure as shit could not have been fleeing to fast either.

[joe33]

Schmeling permanently damaged his knee parachuting over Crete,at a relatively advanced age.He was a decent man and not in any way anti -semitic.

I know mate,he was a great guy,im not knocking in him at all.

[Dempsey1238]

Even a 90 old man with a gun can be deadly. You may laugh at this now, but Dempsey put his life on the line vs that 90 year old man. You never know what they have up there sleeves.

[joe33]

Even a 90 old man with a gun can be deadly. You may laugh at this now, but Dempsey put his life on the line vs that 90 year old man. You never know what they have up there sleeves.

Just sounds funny mate thats all,a 90 year old dude still fighting is crazy.I also believe a fair few of them jap guys,stayed in the jungle for decades later,not realising they had lost,one guy was even reported to still be in there last year,though i think that was false,but some never came out till the 1970s,which shows just how brain washed they were,and how loyal to there emperor they were to.

[Dempsey1238]

Well thats true, a good number of em fought the war all the way up to the 70's, I think the war "ended" for em in the early 80's. It is not that far fetch for 80 and 90 year old men to be fighting in wars. Like I said, If that 90 year old man played his cards right, he could have killed Dempsey.

[Nemesis]

Not a mention of Battling Siqi :-(

Now he was on the front lines

[TBooze]

Not a mention of Battling Siqi :-(

Now he was on the front lines

Well I do not know about Battling Siqi, but Battling Siki fought well for France in the Great War (1914-1918, for our American friends;) )

[Dempsey1238]

Got a medal for having the Germans dig there own graves. He did have the gun after all.

After ordering the POW's to dig a ditch, he thown a Genrade and killed them all.

[mcvey]

:good :good :good I didnt mean to appear corrective

[Vantage_West]

mike williams was a frontline soldier in vietnam.

[salsanchezfan]

Well I do not know about Battling Siqi, but Battling Siki fought well for France in the Great War (1914-1918, for our American friends;) )


...............No need to patronize, thanks very much. I'm aware we entered the war in 1917. :-(

[OLD FOGEY]

Jack Dempsey in ww2 got shit i think for "ducking" ww1.Though i dont think he was in action.
Max schemlling got a medal for the battle of crete,as a german para when that force got slaughtered in the drops,but i believe it wss all a fake,he was in the unit,but i read he was ill,but of course it got wicked publicity in germany.

Dempsey was on Okinawa during the battle and actually captured a Japanese soldier.

I think Schmeling was in combat on Crete, but he was not wounded but instead was hospitalized for dysentery.

Dempsey, Schmeling, Marciano, and almost all the other WWII vets played down their roles. I know of no WWII sports combat veteran who bragged about being in battle. Wasn't done in those days.

[OLD FOGEY]

Even a 90 old man with a gun can be deadly. You may laugh at this now, but Dempsey put his life on the line vs that 90 year old man. You never know what they have up there sleeves.

Dempsey said he was "90" in his autobiography, but he was simply downplaying his role. Most men who served in WWII were humbled by the carnage. Dempsey had to be in physical danger.

[TBooze]

...............No need to patronize, thanks very much. I'm aware we entered the war in 1917. :-(

Shame not everyone had the same attitude; World War II began in 1939 not 41 as well;)

[Nemesis]

Well I do not know about Battling Siqi, but Battling Siki fought well for France in the Great War (1914-1918, for our American friends;) )
you know what i meant

[AREA 53]

Big Mac Foster served in veitnam

[DamonD]

Mike Weaver fought in Vietnam, didn't he?

Ray Mercer was an army sergeant I think, did he have any active service?

[TBooze]

you know what i meant

:good

[ironchamp]

Fair point; IMO 99% of Germans are ultimately blameless in WWII. If you listen to their stories, I think if Hitler had been in control of any of the Allied powers, we would of done the same thing. That is what is so unnerving about Hitler...


BS they are are not blameless....The Italians saw the error in Mussolini's ways and decided to go against him.

[TBooze]

BS they are are not blameless....The Italians saw the error in Mussolini's ways and decided to go against him.

Then you open up a whole can of worms...

Dresden...

Hiroshima...

Nagasaki...

[OLD FOGEY]

Shame not everyone had the same attitude; World War II began in 1939 not 41 as well;)

You turn out to be as provincial as the Americans you criticize. WWII began in 1937 when Japan attacked China.