Flashgear
Senior HTF Member
James Aurness in WW2. He landed at Anzio Italy with the 3rd ("Texas") division on January 22, 1944. Because of his height (6'6"), he was ordered to be the first man off the landing craft to determine the water depth. Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy was also in the 3rd division. The Anzio beach head quickly became a bloody stalemate going nowhere when the Germans swiftly counter attacked. The entire beach head under artillery and air attack with heavy casualties. On the night of February 1, James Aurness was badly wounded by German machine gun fire in his right leg, badly fracturing his tibia. This wound would bother him for the rest of his life. In the later years of Gunsmoke, his leg and back injuries necessitated more stand-in and stunt man substitutions for Arness in action scenes.
Like so many of those guys (my father and uncles included), he never made a point of mentioning his war service and suffering. You would hardly know what these guys went through. It wasn't until 2000 that the dept. of the Army awarded James Arness the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Happy Memorial Day and Honor the Veterans!
Like so many of those guys (my father and uncles included), he never made a point of mentioning his war service and suffering. You would hardly know what these guys went through. It wasn't until 2000 that the dept. of the Army awarded James Arness the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Happy Memorial Day and Honor the Veterans!